BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Company Liquidations

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the reasons for the rise in company liquidations from the first to the second quarter of 2013.

Jo Swinson: We pay close attention to movements in the numbers of company liquidations. The increase between the first and second quarters of 2013 is not unusual. Historically figures have fluctuated quarter on quarter due to a range of factors such as holiday periods and creditor activity. The second quarter figures for 2013 are broadly in line with the last two quarters of 2012, and are down on the same period in 2012. Importantly, liquidations have been steadily falling since 2011 and the most recent figures for the third quarter continue that trend.

Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2013, Official Report, column 960W, on Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment, if he will publish the Government response to the call for evidence concerning the ratification of the Cape Town Convention as soon as possible.

Michael Fallon: A response to the call for evidence on ratification of the Cape Town Convention and Protocol as it relates to aircraft was published on 6 December 2013 and can be viewed from the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/call-for-evidence-convention-on-international-interests-in-mobile-equipment-and-protocol-thereto-on-matters-specific-to-aircraft-equipment

Hewlett-Packard

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will meet Hewlett Packard to discuss the recently announced redundancies; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, at both ministerial and official level, has regular meetings with Hewlett Packard (HP) and is currently in contact to establish the details of their proposed workforce changes. HP is in the process of consulting the trade unions and employee representatives on potential reductions in early 2014. The company has stated an intention to minimise redundancies by re-skilling, redeployment and helping staff to obtain alternative employment. Jobcentre Plus (JCP) is currently seeking clarification on the sites and skills profiles of those likely to be affected. Once this is known, JCP and local partners are ready to work closely with the company to ensure a full programme of support and advice is available.

Higher Education: Inspections

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education has carried out unannounced inspections of universities in the last three years.

David Willetts: The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) is an independent body contracted by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to review and report on providers of higher education. The Government has no direct responsibility for the QAA and consequently this is not information that we hold.

Higher Education: Private Sector

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will retrospectively publish his Department's projections for enrolments among students studying for higher learning qualifications at private colleges in academic year (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13.

David Willetts: We made no estimate of the number of students expected to enrol on HND and HNC courses at private providers in 2011-12 or 2012-13.

Mining

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the level of financial transparency in UK public companies operating in the extractive industries.

Jo Swinson: The coalition Government strongly believes that transparency in the extractives sector is essential to ensure that those living in resource-rich countries see the benefits from the extraction of their natural resources.
	This is why the Government supported the EU in bringing forward regulations to require large extractive companies to report the payments they make to the Governments of all the countries in which they operate. Following the G8 summit in Lough Erne, the UK is committed to implementing these requirements early.
	In addition the Government has made the commitment to report under the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. As EITI Champion I am keen for the UK to drive forward its implementation. The Multi Stakeholder Group has been setup and is working towards achieving candidacy status.

New Businesses: Hampshire

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many start-up loans have been granted to businesses in (a) Portsmouth South constituency and (b) Hampshire in the last five years.

Matthew Hancock: Start-up loan data is not collected by constituency.
	Since the launch of the start-up loan scheme in September 2012, 26 loans with a value of £177,921 have been made in Portsmouth and 121 loans with a value of £825,923 have been made in Hampshire.

New Businesses: Sussex

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many start-up loans have been granted to businesses in (a) Mid Sussex constituency and (b) West Sussex in the last five years.

Matthew Hancock: Start-Up Loan data is not collected by constituency.
	Since the launch of the Start-Up Loan scheme in September 2012, 10 loans with a value of £88,400 have been made in Mid Sussex and 120 loans with a value of £841,719 have been made in West Sussex.

Ordnance Survey

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what obligations the Ordnance Survey has to conduct health checks on its employees; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: As Ordnance Survey has no manufacturing or shift workers, there are no longer any legal obligations to carry out health checks on any of its employees.

Post Offices

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Cabinet Office about increasing the range of Government services provided through the Post Office network.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Cabinet Office are in regular and close contact about a range of opportunities.
	Post Office Ltd, with its network of over 11,500 branches, is well placed to become a provider of front office services for Government, helping citizens interact with Government either face-to-face or online.
	While public services must be competitively tendered, Post Office Ltd has shown that it can very effectively bid for and win new work. It has won every Government contract it has bid for in the last two years in highly competitive tendering processes.
	In particular, in 2012 it successfully bid for the competitively-tendered DVLA framework contract for Front Office Counter Services (FOCS). This contract runs to 2020 and is available to other Government Departments. For example HM Passport Office recently moved its services with Post Office Ltd onto FOCS. Officials are in contact with the Cabinet Office to ensure that Departments are fully aware of the opportunities this framework contract offers.
	Furthermore, Post Office Ltd was recently one of the successful bidders for the Cabinet Office's online identity assurance contract, ensuring that Post Office Ltd can play a role in the delivery of modem, online Government services.

Russia

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he was accompanied by any hon. Members on his visit to Russia in November 2013.

Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable) was not accompanied by any hon. Members during his visit to Russia in November 2013.

Russia

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he discussed the cases of (a) the Arctic 30, (b) Sergei Magnitsky, (c) Vasily Alexanyan and (d) Mikhail Khodorkovsky on his visit to Russia in November 2013; with whom any such discussions took place; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), raised with First Deputy Prime Minister Shuvalov the importance of fair and proportionate treatment of the Greenpeace detainees. While the Secretary of State did not raise specific cases, his visit included a meeting with representatives of civil society groups to discuss human rights in Russia.

Russia

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills who he met on his visit to Russia in November 2013.

Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), visited Russia from 11-12 November 2013 for the annual bilateral trade talks between the UK and Russia. He was accompanied by a British business delegation of over 30 companies. During the visit he met First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvatov, Alexander Lebedev, Sergei Mitrokhin the leader of the liberal opposition party Yabloko, and Alexey Sorokin, the CEO of the World Cup 2018 Local Organising Committee. He also met a wide range of Russian Government officials and Russian business leaders and representatives of civil society groups.

Russia

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he discussed (a) rule of law, (b) human rights, (c) legal nihilism and (d) corruption during his visit in Russia in November 2013; with whom such discussions took place; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), raised with First Deputy Prime Minister Shuvalov a number of aspects of the business and investment climate in Russia, including the rule of law, which currently deter some UK businesses from operating in Russia. He also met representatives of several civil society groups to discuss human rights in Russia.

Students: Loans

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what effect an increase of the RAB charge of (a) one percentage point, (b) two percentage points and (c) five percentage points will have on the public sector finances in each of the five years from 2016-17;
	(2)  if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of an increase in the RAB charge by (a) one, (b) two and (c) five percentage points on public sector finances in each of the five years from 2016-17.

David Willetts: Estimates for the impact of RAB charge changes from 2016-17 are highly dependent on the future growth of earnings, and forecasts of spending for years beyond FY 2015-16 have not yet been made.
	However, the impact of 1% pt increase in the RAB charge on loans issued in 2014-15 would be around £100 million. The impact of 2% pts increase in the RAB charge on loans issued in 2014-15 would be around £200 million. The impact of 5% pts increase in the RAB charge on loans issued in 2014-15 would be around £500 million.
	Any change to the RAB charge will impact the net expenditure and balance sheet position in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills annual accounts, but does not impact the current deficit or Public Sector Net Debt.

Students: Loans

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the difference is between his most recent estimate of the level of non-repayment of student loans and any such estimate made in March 2011.

David Willetts: In March 2011 we estimated that around 30% of the value of post-2012 loans would not be repaid. We currently estimate that around 35%-40% of the value of these student loans will not be repaid, a change of 5%-10%. This is largely due to an increase in the value of the £21,000 repayment threshold relating to forecast earnings.

Students: Loans

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of (a) total student loan debt, (b) non-repayment of student loan debt, (c) his Department's DEL provision against non-repayment of student loan debt, (d) his Department's AME provision against non-repayment of student loan debt and (e) his Department's balance sheet impairments against non-repayment of student loan debt in each year for which figures are available.

David Willetts: The amount of student loan debt outstanding at 31 March 2013 was £45,745 million (31 March 2012, £39,530 million). This was held at a value of £30,696 million (31 March 2012, £28,069 million) in the BIS annual report and accounts (question a).
	The amount of non-repayment of student loan debt held in the BIS accounts is consistent with the DEL provision in the Department's budget. The write-off relating to the expected non-repayment of student loans is recognised annually in budgets and reported in the annual report and accounts. In 2012-13, £2,380 million (2011-12, £1,187 million) was reported as the future cost which cannot be recovered due to their income not reaching the income threshold, the death of the student and other causes, (questions b-d).
	The total write-off impairment for the repayment of student loan debt held on the Department's balance sheet at 31 March 2013 was £6,892 million (31 March 2012, £4,400 million) (question e).

Students: Loans

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what provision in what year against future DEL or AME budgets the Exchequer requires his Department to make against the non-repayment of student loans.

David Willetts: The write-off relating to the expected non-repayment of student loans is recognised annually in budgets and reported in the annual report and accounts in accordance with government financial reporting standards. In 2012-13, £2,380 million (2011-12, £1,187 million) was reported as the future cost which cannot be recovered due to their income not reaching the income threshold, the death of the student and other causes.

Students: Loans

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to sell the remainder of the student loan book before May 2015.

David Willetts: On 25 November 2013 Government announced the completion of the sale of the remaining publicly owned Mortgage Style student loans.
	As stated by the Chancellor of the Exchequer at the autumn statement on 5 December 2013, the Government has appointed financial advisers to prepare for sale of the pre-Browne Income Contingent Repayment student loan book. The pre-Browne book will be disposed of in a number of tranches over a period of years, with a first sale intended to occur by the end of financial year 2015/16.

Visits Abroad

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make it his policy to place on his Department's website notice of any ministerial visits to foreign countries to better allow non-governmental organisations to make representations about human rights abuses in those countries in advance of the visit.

Michael Fallon: No. Details of forthcoming overseas ministerial visits are classified as restricted information and as such cannot be published.

PRIME MINISTER

China

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  if he will discuss with representatives of the Chinese Government the UK and China’s priorities for the Human Rights Council during his forthcoming visit to China;
	(2)  if he will discuss climate change and global action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with representatives of the Chinese Government during his forthcoming visit to China;
	(3)  if he will discuss (a) the abolition of the death penalty, (b) freedom of expression and (c) freedom of religion or belief with representatives of the Chinese Government during his forthcoming visit to China.

David Cameron: The Government is committed to engagement with China on a full range of subjects as part of a broad and mature relationship. Nothing was off limits in my conversations in China and I raised climate change and human rights issues and agreed a new round of the UK-China human rights dialogue in early 2014.

Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Prime Minister how many times the word ‘poverty’ has been mentioned in No. 10 Downing street’s parliamentary answers in Session (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13.

David Cameron: My parliamentary answers are a matter of public record and can be found in the Official Report. Copies are available in the Libraries of the House.

Shaker Aamer

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he had with President Obama at the G8 summit in summer 2013 about the release of Shaker Aamer from Guantanamo Bay; and if he will make a statement.

David Cameron: I refer the right hon. and learned Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Jane Ellison) on 19 June 2013, Official Report, column 901.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Animals Act 1971

Damian Hinds: To ask the Attorney-General how many convictions have been obtained under the Animals Act 1971 for (a) offences relating to horses and (b) all other offences in each year since 2003.

Oliver Heald: The Animals Act 1971 is an Act to make provision with respect to civil liability for damage done by animals and the protection of livestock from dogs. Proceedings brought under the provisions of the Act are non-criminal and are not conducted by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2013, Official Report, column 426W, on Crown Prosecution Service, how many of the CPS's decisions to take no further action that were subject to a review were not fully upheld by the reviewing prosecutor; and in how many such cases was the suspect then charged.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service has overturned the decision of the prosecutor in 57 instances where a review has been requested in relation to a decision not to bring proceedings. Charges have been recommended in each of those instances.

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2013, Official Report, column 426W, on Crown Prosecution Service, how many of the CPS's decisions to discontinue post-charge that were subject to a review were not upheld by the reviewing prosecutor.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service has overturned the decision of the prosecutor in 15 instances where a review has been requested in relation to a decision to discontinue proceedings following charge.

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 22 October 2013, Official Report, column 138W, on Crown Prosecution Service, if he will place in the Library anonymised reports from the Parliamentary Ombudsman that were critical of the Crown Prosecution Service.

Dominic Grieve: Any decision to publish the reports would be the responsibility of the Parliamentary Ombudsman.

Electronic Surveillance

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General if he will make representations to the Law Commission on a review of the legal framework of how the Government gathers intelligence from electronic communications.

Dominic Grieve: The Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament recently considered the legal framework which governs GCHQ's access to the content of communications following GCHQ's alleged access to such under the US PRISM programme. It concluded that GCHQ had not circumvented or attempted to circumvent UK law. However, the Intelligence and Security Committee did announce its intention to review whether the current statutory framework, which governs security and intelligence agencies' access to the content of private communications, remains adequate. The Interception of Communications Commissioner is also intending to report his findings on these issues when he publishes his annual report early next year. In light of this ongoing work, I have no plans to make representations to the Law Commission for them to review the legal framework.

Female Genital Mutilation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many cases of female genital mutilation are currently being considered for criminal charges by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Dominic Grieve: The Crown Prosecution Service is currently considering six cases of female genital mutilation to advise the police on lines of inquiry and charging advice.

GCHQ

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions he has been briefed on the legal framework for the intelligence gathering activities of GCHQ since 2010.

Dominic Grieve: I have on occasion been briefed on aspects of the legal framework for the intelligence gathering activities of GCHQ since 2010. We do not keep any central record of how often this has occurred.

Highways Act 1980

Damian Hinds: To ask the Attorney-General how many convictions have been obtained under the Highways Act 1980 for (a) offences relating to horses and (b) all other offences in each year since 2003.

Oliver Heald: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts, rather than the number of convictions obtained, since April 2004. A single defendant may be prosecuted for multiple offences.
	Offences relating to animals are prosecuted by way of Section 155 of the Highways Act 1980 (animals straying or lying on the highway). The following table shows the number of these offences and all other offences under the Highways Act 1980, charged and reaching a first hearing, in each of the last nine years.
	
		
			  (a) S.155 Highways Act (b) AH other Highways Act offences 
			 2004-05 20 367 
			 2005-06 18 256 
			 2006-07 21 274 
			 2007-08 17 240 
			 2008-09 10 203 
			 2009-10 17 297 
			 2010-11 5 254 
			 2011-12 55 163 
			 2012-13 28 160 
		
	
	“Animals” as defined by the Act are horses (including ponies, asses or mules), cattle, sheep, goats or swine. It is not possible to disaggregate these figures to show separately the number of Highways Act offences relating solely to horses. To obtain this information would require a manual exercise of reviewing individual case files to be undertaken at a disproportionate cost.

Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Attorney-General how many times the word “poverty” has been mentioned in the Law Officers' Departments' parliamentary answers in Session (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13.

Oliver Heald: None.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Boilers: West Sussex

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change who the installer organisations approved to install new oil boilers in West Sussex under the Green Deal and energy company obligation schemes are.

Gregory Barker: An approved list of Green Deal installers can be found by following the link. Green Deal assessors and providers can also be found on the same website.
	http://gdorb.decc.gov.uk/find-a-green-deal-supplier/advanced?clear=true&DECC=true
	As of 4 December 2013 there were nine companies indicating that they operate in West Sussex who are registered to install oil-fired condensing boilers.
	There is not a separate list of approved energy company obligation installers but many Green Deal installers also carry out installation work under the energy company obligation scheme.
	Consumers can also call the Energy Saving Advice Service on 0300 123 1234 and they will provide the names of three local suppliers.

Carbon Monoxide: Poisoning

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of whether current arrangements for information provision by energy suppliers are sufficient to ensure that their customers are aware of the dangers arising from carbon monoxide.

Michael Fallon: Through the Gas Suppliers Standard Licence Condition 29, Ofgem, the independent regulator for the gas and electricity markets, requires suppliers annually to inform domestic customers of:
	the safe use of gas appliances and other gas fittings;
	the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning;
	the benefits of fitting an audible carbon monoxide alarm that complies with a relevant British or European safety standard;
	the benefits of gas safety checks; and
	where to seek advice if gas appliances are condemned as a result of a gas safety check.
	In 2011, the All Party Parliamentary Gas Safety Group published a report recommending that “Ofgem should regularly review and evaluate the effectiveness of the requirement for gas retailers to raise awareness of carbon monoxide”. Following this, Ofgem has contacted all suppliers to ask them what they do to monitor the effectiveness of their communications with customers regarding carbon monoxide. Having received responses to this question Ofgem plans to discuss the matter further with suppliers during bilateral social obligations meetings which are scheduled in the new year.
	Gas distributors are also obligated to raise awareness of carbon monoxide safety as part of the price control.
	Ofgem is currently undertaking a review of the Priority Services Register (PSR)—a range of free services that suppliers and distributors are obliged to offer to their most vulnerable customers—to examine whether the services offered remain relevant and whether they are targeted at the appropriate customers. These services include free gas safety checks.

Directors

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many of his Department's (a) executive and (b) non-executive board members are (i) men and (ii) women.

Gregory Barker: Currently, four men and two women sit on the executive board; and two men and one woman are non-executive board members.

Directors

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many of his Department's (a) executive and (b) non-executive board members are identified as (i) white British and (ii) of black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups.

Gregory Barker: The Department monitors the ethnic diversity of boards but racial or ethnic identity is not self-evident and is sensitive personal data. Given the small numbers involved we could not disclose the results of our monitoring without infringing the rights of the individuals concerned.
	In his most recent annual report (2012-13) the Government Lead Non-Executive, Lord Browne, accepted that “the numbers of non-executives with minority ethnic backgrounds remains disappointingly low” but reiterated his commitment to improving their representation on departmental boards. This is a commitment I share.
	The Department is committed to ensuring that it reflects the diversity of the public which we serve at all levels.

Electric Cables

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the cost to his Department to date has been of the application by SP Manweb plc for a necessary wayleave to retain an installed 132kV electric line at land at the Heath Business and Technical Park, Runcorn, Cheshire.

Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey) does not maintain a record of the costs incurred by his Department to process individual necessary wayleave applications.

Electricity Interconnectors

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the amount of electricity that passed through interconnections from (a)  England to Scotland and (b) Scotland to England in each month since January 2010.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 5 December 2013
	The amount of electricity that has passed through the interconnectors between England and Scotland in each month since January 2010 is shown in the table. The 2012 figures will be published in the December 2013 edition of Energy Trends at 9:30 am on 1 December 2013 and will be available on the DECC statistics webpage:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/energy-trends
	
		
			 GWh 
			  2010 2011 
			  England-Scotland Scotland-England England-Scotland Scotland-England 
			 January 16 803 16 696 
			 February 122 321 53 678 
			 March 31 679 151 222 
			 April 0 235 5 868 
			 May 11 484 0 1,071 
			 June 7 656 0 977 
			 July 1 1,113 0 918 
			 August 4 606 2 788 
			 September 0 1,037 0 1,064 
			 October 0 948 10 1,068 
			 November 16 777 0 1,664 
			 December 33 578 0 1,819 
			 Source: December 2012, Energy Trends: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/energy-trends

Energy: Prices

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent representations he has received from energy intensive manufacturing companies in the UK on high energy prices.

Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey) and other DECC Ministers regularly receive representations from energy intensive manufacturing companies and representative bodies on a broad range of issues including energy prices. Details of whom DECC Ministers meet is published online as part of the Government’s commitment to transparency. These can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/edward-daveys-meetings-with-external-organisations-april-to-june-2013
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greg-barkers-meetings-with-external-organisations-april-to-june-2013
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/michael-fallons-meetings-with-external-organisations-april-to-june-2013
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/baroness-vermas-meetings-with-external-organisations-april-to-june-2013

Energy: Prices

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change at which meetings with the big six energy companies he asked them to not increase or to lower prices that were being charged to their customers in the last six months.

Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey) has not held any meeting where he has asked energy companies to lower or not to increase their prices.

Energy: Prices

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to his oral statement on 2 December 2013, Official Report, column 634, on energy bills, on what dates the meetings were held at which he raised the issue of profits and prices with the big six energy companies.

Michael Fallon: Given the number of meetings the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey) has had with the big six energy companies since taking up post, the information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Energy: VAT

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral contribution of 2 December 2013, Official Report, column 632, on energy bills, what the evidential basis was for his assertion that abolishing VAT on household energy bills would be illegal.

Gregory Barker: Value added tax (VAT) is a tax paid on goods and services bought in the European Union. The reduced VAT rate of 5% that applies to gas and electricity in the UK is the lowest permissible under the EU VAT directive.

Fracking

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps the Office of Unconventional Gas and Oil is currently taking to encourage drilling to determine the amount of recoverable onshore and offshore shale gas in (a) the UK and (b) Bowland Shale in Lancashire.

Michael Fallon: Seven thousand three hundred square miles of Great Britain are currently under licence, including significant areas likely to contain shale. We expect substantial developer interest in the 14th licence round, planned for next year.
	We have done the following to encourage shale gas exploration and development:
	In the autumn statement, the Chancellor announced support to encourage investment in onshore oil and gas, including shale gas, by halving the tax rate on early profits.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government has published planning guidance that clarifies the interaction of the planning process with the environmental and safety consenting regimes. This should accelerate the planning process.
	The Environment Agency (EA) has announced it will streamline and simplify the regulation of exploratory activity, while maintaining environmental protection.
	The Government has welcomed a package of community benefits brought forward by industry. These will include £100,000 for communities near each hydraulically fractured exploratory well, and 1% of revenues from every production site.

Geothermal Power

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the Deep Geothermal Review Study conducted by Atkins for his Department, published in October 2013, when he expects to publish plans to implement the report's recommendation for a deep geothermal energy demonstrator project.

Gregory Barker: I shall shortly be writing to the Renewable Energy Association (REA) and to the chair of the REA Deep Geothermal Group setting out the conclusions that the Government has drawn from the Atkins report. I shall also write to my hon. Friend.

Internet

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether access to any websites or domains is blocked from computers in his Department; and if he will publish a list of all such websites and domains to which access is prohibited.

Gregory Barker: The Department uses a commercial appliance which blocks specific website requests. The commercial supplier of the appliance provides a database of many thousands of websites, categorised according to the sort of information each provides. The Department has identified which categories to block, and requests for websites falling into that category, will be denied. The database is updated every night by the supplier, a service for which the Department pays a subscription.
	Extracting a complete list of banned websites would be potentially misleading, as new websites are added or recategorised on a daily basis, making any list obsolete as soon as it is produced.

Offshore Industry: Safety

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to publish his Department's official report on the blowout on the Elgin platforms in March 2012.

Michael Fallon: The HSE led joint HSE/DECC investigation into the loss of well control and blowout on the Elgin installation that occurred in March 2012 is ongoing. The investigation is still in the evidence gathering phase with DECC and HSE officials scheduled to obtain further witness evidence into early 2014.
	Upon conclusion of the investigation, separate reports for the consideration of criminal proceedings regarding this incident will be passed to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS). These reports will detail the potential contraventions of both offshore health and safety and offshore environmental regulations and permits that occurred as a result of the blowout.
	The necessary constraints of the investigation restricts the sharing of lessons in the short term but at an appropriate time in the future, lessons learned will be shared with the wider industry through the appropriate industry forums.

Power Failures

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the likelihood of power cuts due to a shortage of energy supplies in the coming winter.

Michael Fallon: The Statutory Security of Supply Report was published on 31 October 2013 which looked in detail at the capacity of the electricity system to meet the reasonable demands of consumers both this winter and in the longer term.

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the likely interest in the Renewable Heat Incentive for domestic properties will be when it is launched in spring 2014; and what estimate he has made of the consequent cost to the Exchequer.

Gregory Barker: On Wednesday 4 December, DECC published a number of Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) documents, including an update on the budget management of the Domestic RHI. In that document we state that, at the tariff levels in place when the scheme launches, we believe that the scheme could see an increase from current levels of renewable heat deployment to approximately 35,000 installations in 2014-15 and 57,000 installations in 2015-16. This is a significant increase on current levels of deployment, but it is important to note that this is the sort of scale of deployment that the budget can support rather than a specific target for deployment. The actual number of installations supported will depend significantly on the balance between technologies and the size of installations.
	If tariff levels reduce as a result of deployment meeting a degression trigger (demand for the scheme was very high or technology costs were lower than we anticipated), we would be able to support an even larger number of installations.
	The total cost of the domestic scheme is estimated to be £44.8 million in 2014-15 and £80.1 million the following year. This includes funding for payments to those who have already acted in line with the Government's announcements since July 2009, a metering and monitoring scheme to help improve the performance of technologies, as well as payments for new installations to which the above numbers of installations refer.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Administration of Justice: EU Action

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will apply to the European Court of Justice for a judicial review of the European Commission's proposals to create a European Public Prosecutor's Office and associated reforms to Eurojust on the grounds that they infringe the principle of subsidiarity.

James Brokenshire: By issuing a subsidiarity "yellow card" against the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), national Parliaments have sent a clear signal to the Commission that the proposal is in breach of the principle of subsidiarity.
	The Commission's decision to "maintain" the proposal in response to the serious concerns raised by national Parliaments is unwelcome.
	The principle of subsidiarity has important significance within the treaties and the associated role of national Parliaments in the subsidiarity control mechanism must be respected. All national Parliaments that issued Reasoned Opinions against the EPPO will wish to consider their response to the Commission.
	The Government do not rule out any available options at this time.

Association of Chief Police Officers

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what level of public funds has been allocated to the Association of Chief Police Officers in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	These figures are actual payments made for each respective year and function shown, and supersede those published in previous PQs.
	
		
			 Table 1: Grant payments made to the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) for 2009/10 to 2013/14 
			 Funding area 2009-10 (£) 2010-11 (£) 2011-12 (£) 2012-13 (£) 2013-14 (projected) (£) Details 
			 Grant in aid funding 836,232 823,688 792,770 561,833 - To meet the costs of the ACPO president and ACPO HQ central administration-office costs 
			 Supplementary grant in aid funding - - 250,000 - - One-off allocation to help meet shortfall in funding from police authorities 
			 UK Disaster Victim Identification 673,565 540,511 453,336 440,350 1500,000 To provide national expertise and support on the identification of victims in the event of mass fatality incidents 
			 National Domestic Extremism Team2 2,000,000 - - - - To provide intelligence on domestic extremism and strategic public order issues in the UK 
			 Policing the Olympics3 414,923 388,482 551,561 337,095 - Co-ordinating work-provided directly to ACPO 
		
	
	
		
			 National Policing Coordination Centre (NPoCC) - - - 323,936 41,908,000 NPoCC replaced PNICC following the London Olympics. ACPO host NPoCC 
			 Contribution to the Police National Intelligence Co-ordination Centre (PNICC) - 109,912 428,684 353,480 - Funding to PNICC for Olympic -related work 
			 Co-ordination of Counter-Terrorism policing5 7,960,600 - - - - Funds the national coordination functions: the National Coordinator of Special Branch, media liaison work, Counter-Terrorism training needs analysis and the police contribution to the Border Management programme 
			 Prevent5 2,427,750 - - - - Prevent Channel project-a multi-agency approach to protecting people from the risk of radicalisation 
			 Prevent5 3,867,990 - - - - Provision of Prevent Engagement Officers who connect Counter-Terrorism policing, neighbourhood policing and communities 
			 Prisoner Intelligence Network5 4,267,000 - - - - Provides strategic and tactical functions on matters relating to the intelligence, security, activity and location of all terrorist and extremist prisoners across England, Wales and Scotland 
			        
			 Total 22,448,060 1,862,593 2,476,351 2,016,694 2,408,000  
			 1 Agreement in place for payment not exceeding stated figure. 2 The role and functions of the National Domestic Extremism Team moved to the MPS after 2009-10. 3 ACPO had an additional responsibility in supporting co-ordination of Olympic policing, Funding for this role is included here to reflect the total funding provided by the Home Office and therefore was not included in the answer to a previous PQ on ACPO’s core work (HL 16545). 4 Agreement in place for payment not exceeding stated figure. 5 In the interests of protecting national security, we do not disclose how the total Home Office grants for counter-terrorism policing are allocated among police forces, other bodies, and functions. Figures for 2009-10 had already been published prior to May 2010 and before this change in policy.

Domestic Violence

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when she expects domestic violence protection orders and the domestic violence disclosure scheme to become fully operational nationwide;
	(2)  whether her Department has set any targets related to reducing domestic violence through the nationwide expansion of Clare's Law.

Norman Baker: On 25 November 2013, we announced our intention to extend both Domestic Violence Protection Orders and the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS, also known as Clare's Law) across all of England and Wales from March 2014. This follows the successful conclusion of two pilots to test these provisions.
	There are no plans to set any arbitrary targets related to reducing domestic violence and abuse through the national extension of the DVDS. The DVDS forms part of the Government's commitment to identify new ways of protecting victims and preventing tragic incidents from happening. Findings from the DVDS pilot indicate that this scheme is a useful way of providing individuals with information to help them to make a more informed choice about their relationship.
	The Government is committed to ensuring that the police and other agencies have the tools necessary to tackle domestic violence, to bring offenders to justice and to ensure victims have the support they need to rebuild their lives.

Human Trafficking

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department's counting rules include a separate category of crime for (a) human trafficking and (b) other forms of modern slavery.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office Counting Rules for crime (HOCR) has a separate category for crimes of human trafficking for sexual exploitation. Other crimes relating to trafficking and modern slavery are not separately categorised within the HOCR but are included within other offence classifications.

Human Trafficking

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent consultation she has had with the devolved administrations on the prevention of human trafficking.

James Brokenshire: Ministers from the devolved Administrations are members of the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on human trafficking which I chair. This group meets regularly to provide the strategic coordination and oversight of efforts to tackle this horrendous crime.
	We are also engaged with the devolved Administrations in the development of the forthcoming Modern Slavery Bill.

Independent Police Complaints Commission

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2013, Official Report, column 476W, whether the Independent Police Complaints Commission will investigate cases involving the (a) Ministry of Defence Police, (b) Civil Nuclear Constabulary and (c) British Transport Police following its expansion.

Damian Green: The organisations refer cases to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which then decides what form of investigation, if any, to carry out. It will continue to do so.

Internet: Privacy

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the potential risks of illegal adult content and child abuse associated with the use of TOR;
	(2)  what assessment her Department has made of the use of TOR on the internet.

Damian Green: The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), now a Command of the National Crime Agency (NCA), published its threat assessment “Threat Assessment of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse” on 2 July 2013. The assessment made clear that the use of the hidden internet remains a key threat and that use of it by UK offenders as a method of sharing illegal images of children had most likely increased.
	The NCA is committed to disrupting those who seek to sexually abuse children, and create, possess and share these images through any means and through the hidden internet. The Government is committed to this and to take further action, Britain and the US have joined up to target child abuse online through a new UK-US taskforce to work with industry to counter online child sexual exploitation.

Kings Science Academy

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 2 December 2013, Official Report, column 531W, on Kings Science Academy, when she expects the review to be completed.

James Brokenshire: The review is expected to be completed by the end of February 2014 when a copy will be placed in the Library.

Kings Science Academy

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2013, Official Report, column 301W, on Kings Science Academy, for what reason the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau did not request further information from the Department for Education when Action Fraud reported to the Department for Education that there was not enough information to progress the case further on 5 September 2013.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 3 December 2013
	The contact from the Department for Education on the 5 September 2013 was directly to the National Fraud Authority's action fraud team who checked the status of the case on the system and responded directly to the question asked by the Department. The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau were not involved in this correspondence and at this point no review had taken place.

Offences Against Children: Internet

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to reduce the number of people downloading child abuse images; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 26 November 2013, Official Report, columns 178-79W.

Pay

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the median gross pay is of staff in her Department and its Executive agencies in each pay band who are identified as (a) white British and (b) of black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups;
	(2)  what the median gross pay of (a) men and (b) women is in each pay band in her Department.

James Brokenshire: The median gross pay of (a) men and (b) women in each pay band in the Home Office (core Department and Executive agencies) as at 31 March 2013 is shown in Table 1.
	The median gross pay of (a) white employees and (b) minority ethnic employees in each pay band in the Home Office (core Department and Executive agencies) as at 31 March 2013 is shown in Table 2.
	
		
			 Table 1: Home Office median gross pay by gender and pay band March 2013 
			  Median pay (£) 
			 Grade equivalency (a) Male (b) Female 
			 AA 15,105 15,105 
			 AO 18,114 18,114 
			 EO 26,079 25,778 
			 HEO 31,306 30,997 
			 SEO 39,674 40,220 
			 G7 54,362 54,239 
			 G6 67,259 66,077 
			 SCS 81,247 75,888 
			 Notes: 1. Extract date: 1 April 2013. 2. Period covered: Data provided is as at 31 March 2013. 3. Organisational coverage: Figures include the core Home Office (including Border Force) and the Executive agencies as at 31 March 2013; UK Border Agency, HM Passport Office and the National Fraud Authority. 4. Employee coverage: Data includes all paid civil servants as at 31 March 2013. Data is provided by grade equivalency; each grade band includes the grade stated plus equivalents. 5. Transparency Agenda considerations: Median gross pay has been calculated using annualised, full-time equivalent basic salary plus London living allowance. This is consistent with the methodology used in the Home Office annual report and accounts 2012-13, previous PQ responses and the Employment Monitoring Report 2012-13. 6. Calculations: The median is the numerical value or quantity found at the mid-point of an ordered list of values or quantities (in this case salary). The median of a finite list of numbers can be found by arranging them from lowest to highest value and picking the middle one. If there is an even number of observations, and no single middle value; the median is then taken to be the mean of the two middle values. 7. Rounding: Figures have been rounded to the nearest pound. Source: Salary taken from P60 information from payroll and validated and cleansed against Data View-the Home Office’s single source of Office for National Statistics compliant monthly snapshot corporate Human Resources data. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Home Office median gross pay by ethnicity and pay band March 2013 
			  Median pay (£) 
			 Grade equivalency (a) White (b) Minority Ethnic 
			 AA 15,105 17,661 
			 AO 17,877 20,367 
			 EO 25,286 26,248 
			 HEO 30,697 31,917 
			 SEO 39,472 40,777 
			 G7 54,239 53,974 
			 G6 66,720 66,720 
			 SCS 79,160 76,366 
			 Notes: 1. Extract date: 1 April 2013. 2. Period covered: Data provided is as at 31 March 2013. 3. Organisational coverage: Figures include the core Home Office (including Border Force) and the Executive agencies as at 31 March 2013; UK Border Agency, HM Passport Office and the National Fraud Authority. 4. Employee coverage: Data includes paid civil servants as at 31 March 2013. Data is provided by grade equivalency; each grade band includes the grade stated plus equivalents. Data is reported based on the Department's standard ethnicity groupings; white and minority ethnic. Only those employees who made a positive statement to diversity monitoring questions with regards to their ethnicity are included; those who did not respond or chose to "prefer not to say" are not included here. 5. Transparency Agenda considerations: Median gross pay has been calculated using annualised, full-time equivalent basic salary plus London living allowance. This is consistent with the methodology used in the Home Office annual report and accounts 2012-13, previous PQ responses and the Employment Monitoring Report 2012-13. 6. Calculations: The median is the numerical value or quantity found at the mid-point of an ordered list of values or quantities (in this case salary). The median of a finite list of numbers can be found by arranging them from lowest to highest value and picking the middle one. If there is an even number of observations, and no single middle value; the median is then taken to be the mean of the two middle values. 7. Rounding: Figures have been rounded to the nearest pound. Source: Salary taken from P60 information from payroll and validated and cleansed against Data View-the Home Office’s single source of Office for National Statistics compliant monthly snapshot corporate Human Resources data.

Police Custody: Mental Illness

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she plans to take to reduce the numbers of people with mental health problems taken into police custody under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983.

Damian Green: It is not acceptable for people detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983, who are not being investigated for a crime, to be taken into police custody-other than in genuinely exceptional circumstances, such as the person's behaviour presenting an unmanageably high risk of harm to health care patients or staff.
	In 2012-13, 8,004 detentions made under section 136 resulted in the police taking the individual to a police station-that amounts to 36% of all section 136 detentions1.
	The lack of a health based place of safety is not an acceptable reason for police custody to be used. In England it is the responsibility of NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups to ensure that a sufficient number of health based places of safety appropriately staffed, are provided in the area for which they are responsible. In Wales the Welsh Government has responsibility for health commissioning.
	In May this year the Secretary of State for the Home Department announced a number of measures aimed at reducing the numbers of people detained under section 136 being taken into police custody, including:
	a review of the operation of Sections 135 and 136 of the Mental Health Act will get under way this financial year-to ensure that the legislative framework supports getting the right support for people at the right time;
	two new health based places of safety to open in January in Scarborough and York-North Yorkshire is the only police force area in England where there are currently no health based places of safety to take people detained under section 136; and,
	the Department of Health funding nine police forces to pilot mental, health street triage schemes, which involve police officers and health professionals working together on the ground, with a key aim of using that expertise to reduce the number of section 136 detentions necessary.
	The Home Department is also signing up to the Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat, an agreement between a wide range of national agencies including NHS England and the police, which includes principles and actions that I expect will lead to many fewer people detained under section 136 being taken into police custody.
	In particular, the concordat challenges local partners to provide the services necessary to meet the needs of those suffering mental health crises locally.
	1 In-patients formally detained in hospitals under the Mental Health Act 1983 and patients subject to Supervised Community Treatment Annual Figures, England 2012-13-published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, October 2013.

Police: Disciplinary Proceedings

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many serving police officers are currently suspended from duty in each constabulary.

Damian Green: The following table contains data on the number of police officers suspended for more than 28 calendar days as at 31 March 2013 (ie the most recent data), for each police force area.
	
		
			 Number of full-time equivalent1 police officers suspended as at 31 March 20132 
			  Number suspended 
			 Avon and Somerset 1.0 
			 Bedfordshire 0.0 
			 Cambridgeshire 1.0 
			 Cheshire 0.0 
			 Cleveland 0.0 
			 Cumbria 0.0 
			 Derbyshire 0.0 
			 Devon and Cornwall 4.0 
			 Dorset 0.0 
			 Durham 1.0 
			 Dyfed-Powys 3.0 
			 Essex 3.0 
			 Gloucestershire 0.0 
			 Greater Manchester 4.0 
			 Gwent 4.0 
			 Hampshire 0.0 
			 Hertfordshire 0.0 
			 Humberside 1.0 
			 Kent 15.8 
			 Lancashire 1.0 
			 Leicestershire 0.0 
			 Lincolnshire 0.0 
			 London, City of 0.0 
			 Merseyside 3.0 
			 Metropolitan Police 35.0 
			 Norfolk 2.0 
			 Northamptonshire 0.0 
			 Northumbria 2.0 
		
	
	
		
			 North Wales 0.0 
			 North Yorkshire 0.0 
			 Nottinghamshire 15.0 
			 South Wales 12.0 
			 South Yorkshire 1.0 
			 Staffordshire 1.0 
			 Suffolk 2.0 
			 Surrey 2.0 
			 Sussex 0.0 
			 Thames Valley 5.0 
			 Warwickshire 0.0 
			 West Mercia 4.0 
			 West Midlands 8.0 
			 West Yorkshire 1.0 
			 Wiltshire 2.0 
			 Total 133.8 
			 1 This table contains full-time equivalent figures. 2 These figures are not regularly published; they have not been verified by police forces and should be treated as provisional. Source: Home Office, using data received from police forces via the Annual Data Requirement.

Police: Information

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with the Association of Chief Police Officers on the operation of police information notices (PINS); and whether she plans to review guidance on the operation of PINS;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 2 December 2013, Official Report, column 532W, on police: information, what guidance she has issued on the repeat issuing of police information notices to the same person on the basis of similar allegations.

Damian Green: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 12 November 2013, Official Report, column 546W.

Recruitment

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of staff recruited to her Department since 5 May 2010 were (a) men and (b) women.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has recruited 2,177 staff since 5 May 2010—52.37% were male and 47.63% were female.

Sexual Offences

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what definition her Department uses for cases of historic sexual violence.

Norman Baker: The Office for National Statistics uses the following categories, for the purposes of better understanding current trends in reporting of sexual offences: cases reported to the police that occurred more than 20 years ago; those between one and 20 years ago; and those within the previous year.
	However, we are clear that when an alleged offence took place should have no bearing on the CJS response. All victims of rape and sexual violence should be treated with dignity, and, all investigations conducted thoroughly and professionally, regardless of when the alleged offence took place.

Sexual Offences: Greater London

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the oral evidence of James Patrick to the Public Administration Select Committee, 19 November 2013, HC 760, Q7, what assessment she has made of the allegation that the Metropolitan Police had effectively been under-recording rape and serious sexual offences by between 22 per cent and 25 per cent; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: holding answer 29 November 2013
	We want to ensure that all victims of rape and sexual violence are treated with dignity, and that police investigations are conducted thoroughly and professionally. Any officer suspected of falsifying crime figures should be investigated and punished if found guilty.
	The Government is encouraged that the most recent crime statistics showed an increase in the number of rape and sexual violence cases reported to the police, indicating that more victims are having the confidence to come forward and report these crimes. In addition, the ‘no crime' rate for rape has fallen from 12.6% in 2009-10 to 9.6% in 2012-13.
	The ‘no crime' rate for the Metropolitan police for rape has fallen from 12.9% in 2009-10 to 12.0% in 2012-13.
	As part of their work to ensure the quality of police crime recording and service delivery to victims, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary is inspecting forces to ensure standards are being met, including on the recording of rape, and will publish a national thematic report next autumn.

Tickets: Touting

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what resources her Department has allocated to policing the illegal use of ticket bots, as proscribed under the Computer Misuse Act 1990.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 2 December 2013
	Cyber crime is a serious threat to the UK and this Government has taken action to tackle it. The Government has so far committed £63 million of funding from the National Cyber Security Programme to build law enforcement capabilities to tackle all forms of cyber crime and to support crime prevention work.
	The decision as to how policing teams are resourced, deployed and the duties those officers undertake is an operational matter for chief constables, in association with their police and crime commissioner. The National Crime Agency will lead operations on organised crime, which includes cyber and economic crime.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Governing Bodies: Females

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to incentivise an increase in the number of women on executive boards of national governing bodies;
	(2)  what consideration she has given to establishing a minimum quota of women on the board of a national governing body as a pre-application criterion for funding from her Department or its executive agencies.

Helen Grant: The Government is committed to achieving equality in sport and, in return for public funding, we expect sports' National Governing Bodies (NGBs) to achieve a target of at least 25% of women on their Boards by 2017. UK Sport and Sport England continue to work with sports' NGBs to help them understand the value of a more diverse Board in terms of gender balance and broader diversity considerations.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Advertising Standards Authority

David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the practice of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) of consulting only one designated expert when assessing claims of medical efficacy in advertising and marketing material; and if she will request the ASA to adopt a robust peer-reviewed assessment process for such claims in line with the assessments made by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and other public bodies.

Edward Vaizey: No such assessment has been made. Advertising in the UK is controlled-through a system of co-regulation and self-regulation, administered by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). This regulatory system is independent of Government and is ultimately responsible for setting the standards in advertising.
	Specific legal requirements, administered by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), apply to the advertising of medicines.

Broadband

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent estimate she has made of the proportion of people with access to superfast broadband in 2015.

Edward Vaizey: DCMS estimates that superfast broadband will have been made available to approximately 88% of premises in 2015.

Broadband: Scotland

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding his Department provides for the provision of broadband other than superfast broadband in rural areas in Scotland.

Edward Vaizey: The Government has made available £100.8m of funding available from the DCMS rural broadband programme to support broadband delivery in Scotland. This will support universal availability of standard broadband as well as extending superfast broadband coverage within Scotland. The funding is allocated through two projects, one for the Highlands and Islands, and one for the rest of Scotland. Both projects are in the design and planning stages.

Broadband: Scotland

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what recent progress she has made in rolling out broadband to (a) towns and (b) villages in (i) Scotland and (ii) Airdrie and Shotts constituency;
	(2)  what discussions she had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer ahead of the Autumn Statement on the allocation of funds for superfast broadband roll-out in the UK;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the effect of reaching her target of universal broadband coverage by 2015 on the availability of video relay services for British Sign Language users in rural areas in Scotland;
	(4)  whether the (a) Rural Community Broadband Fund and (b) Broadband Delivery UK superfast broadband fund may be used to fund broadband networks based on wireless as well as wired technologies in Scotland.

Edward Vaizey: The UK Government allocated £100.8 million to the Scottish Government to support improved broadband coverage in Scotland and the Scottish Government has lead responsibility for its own schemes and delivery of projects in Scotland with support from BDUK. The Rural Community Broadband Fund applies in England only.
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not made any assessment of its broadband targets on the availability of video relay services for British Sign Language users in Scotland. The Scottish Government has responsibility for the delivery of broadband projects with funding from DCMS within Scotland and for promoting the benefits of these projects to consumers. Projects with funding from Broadband Delivery UK do not require use of any specific technologies to deliver the required broadband speeds.
	Ofcom have said Standard broadband has been available from virtually every telephone exchange in the UK for a number of years, although the ability to receive a service at a given property is dependent on the length and quality of the telephone line.
	DCMS has confirmed with HM Treasury that it will aim to reach 95% superfast broadband coverage by 2017 using the £250 million announced in spending round 2013, assuming local match funding. The Treasury has also announced a further £10 million to support market testing of alternative approaches for

Charitable Donations

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to encourage its employees to make tax-free donations direct from their salaries.

Helen Grant: Following a wide consultation over the summer, the Government is looking to create improved webpages that will provide an online presence for donors, to encourage donations. DCMS will be committing to this programme.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what analysis she has made of the effect of a lack of DAB coverage on local radio stations; and when she intends to roll-out increased DAB transmitters to ensure that local stations receive the same coverage as national stations.

Edward Vaizey: As part of the joint Government-Industry Digital Radio Action Plan, Ofcom has led a review of future of DAB coverage. Ofcom published a consultation setting out the parameters for future DAB coverage planning and how infrastructure needs to change to match current FM level, the consultation can be found at:
	http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/broadcasting/radio/coverage/dab-coverage/?utm_source=updates&utm_ medium= email&utm_campaign=dab-coverage-report
	We intend to provide an update on our plans for digital radio at the end of the year.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the proportion of listeners to radio stations operating with a licence in the UK who listen through digital platforms; what comparative assessment she has made of the scale of coverage of national radio stations on digital and FM platforms; and what proportion of listeners are able to access local DAB radio services.

Edward Vaizey: This type of data are collected and published quarterly by RAJAR Ltd (Radio Joint Audience Research). According to the latest RAJAR figures (Q3 2013), the proportion of commercial radio listeners that had listened through a digital platform was 49%.
	As part of the Digital Radio Action Plan, the Government asked Ofcom to report annually on the availability and take-up of digital radio services. Ofcom published the fourth progress report in September 2013 and contains the following information on DAB and FM coverage.
	
		
			 Local DAB coverage 
			 Percentage 
			  Indoor Outdoor 
			 Aggregate of local DAB multiplexes 71.7 56.4 
		
	
	
		
			 National DAB coverage 
			 Percentage 
			  Indoor coverage Outdoor coverage 
			 Commercial national (Digital One) digital multiplex 89.5 75.7 
			 BBC national digital multiplex 94.4 83.6 
		
	
	For comparison, figures for FM coverage are in the following table. These are not directly comparable to the DAB coverage figures, mainly because although it is possible to receive FM reception (albeit poor quality) with low signal strength, DAB reception is either good or completely absent.
	
		
			 FM coverage 
			 Percentage 
			  Indoor coverage Outdoor coverage 
			 Commercial national (Classic FM) 90.9 86.8 
			 Commercial national (Classic FM)—variable1 97.4 90.3 
			 BBC national (BBC Radios 1 to 4) 94.9 93.1 
			 BBC national (BBC Radios 1 to 4)—variable1 99.1 95.8 
			 1 Variable indicates that reception may be less than perfect quality; some artefacts will be present on the audio signal or there may be occasional short drop outs. Notes: 1. Indoor coverage is a percentage of households which are within reception and outdoor coverage is measured by the proportion of the total extent (in km) of major roads which is within reception. 2. Digital One is the national commercial digital multiplex and carries 14 commercial stations. The BBC national digital multiplex broadcasts 11 BBC stations nationally. 3. The only national FM licence is Classic FM.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects to make a decision on the digital radio switchover.

Edward Vaizey: We intend to provide an update on our plans for digital radio shortly. The Government has been clear that the consumer must be at the heart of any decisions made.

Directors

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of her Department's (a) executive and (b) non-executive board members are (i) men and (ii) women.

Helen Grant: The following table shows the number of (a) executive and (b) non-executive board members are who are (i) men and (ii) women.
	
		
			  Male Female 
			 Executive Board Members 2 5 
			 Non-Executive Board Members 2 2

Directors

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of her Department's (a) executive and (b) non-executive board members are identified as (i) white British and (ii) of black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups.

Helen Grant: The following table shows the number of (a) executive and (b) non-executive board members who are identified as (i) white British and (ii) of black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups
	
		
			  White Other Minority Groups Prefer not to say Not disclosed 
			 Executive Board Members 3 — — 4 
		
	
	
		
			 Non-Executive Board Members — — — 4 
		
	
	Completion of this data is non-mandatory for staff.

Football

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what meetings her Department has had with (a) the FA, (b) EUFA and (c) FIFA in the last three years to discuss issues of governance and corruption in football.

Helen Grant: DCMS Ministers and officials have regular meetings with the national and international football authorities to discuss a range of issues including governance and the need to improve the management of the sport.

Internet: Competition

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if her Department will review the price levels set for BT's regulated businesses to ensure that they do not affect the ability of other telecommunications providers to roll out internet coverage in semi-urban and rural areas.

Edward Vaizey: Ofcom is responsible for telecommunications market regulation, including price regulation where appropriate. Openreach, the part of the BT Group which owns the network infrastructure, is required by Ofcom to offer access to infrastructure to BT and other communications providers on non-discriminatory terms. Where price regulation is in place, the price that BT is allowed to charge for access is either set by Ofcom or required to be cost-oriented. Ofcom regularly reviews markets and prices to ensure competition. Communications providers also have the option of rolling out their own networks to provide services. The Government has taken steps to make rollout of networks easier and more cost-effective including streamlining planning rules and allowing the deployment of new overhead lines.

Mobile Phones: Fees and Charges

Dai Havard: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the proposed increase in spectrum annual licence fees on consumer prices and investment in mobile coverage provided by UK mobile network operators;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of whether Ofcom's assessment of the annual licence fee consultation adequately considered the effect of the licence fee on consumer prices and mobile coverage.

Edward Vaizey: The Government directed Ofcom in December 2010 to revise the fees paid for licences to use spectrum in the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands following the auction of licences to use the 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz bands so as to reflect full market value. The statutory instrument making this direction was accompanied by an impact assessment which is available at
	http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/3024/impacts
	That auction was held earlier this year with the licences granted on 1 March. On 10 October 2013 Ofcom published its proposals for revising these spectrum licence fees; the consultation closes on 16 January 2014.

Pay

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the median gross pay of (a) men and (b) women is in each pay band in her Department.

Helen Grant: DCMS already publishes information on the gender pay gap in each pay band and it can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dcms-gender-pay-gap-data

Recruitment

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of staff recruited to her Department since 5 May 2010 were (a) men and (b) women.

Helen Grant: The proportion of staff recruited to the Department since 5 May 2010 who were (a) men and (b) women is disclosed in the following table:
	
		
			 Gender Proportion of staff (%) 
			 Male 53 
			 Female 47 
		
	
	For the period 5 May 2010 to 31 October 2012, a number of civil servants were recruited on loan from other Government Departments and on fixed term contracts to work on the 2012 Olympic Games.

Sports: Females

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2013, Official Report, column 644W, on sports: females, what specific targets her Department set for each individual national governing body on increasing participation rates among women;
	(2)  whether Sport England will review funding for national governing bodies in 2015 based on progress made by them towards meeting their targets on increasing participation rates among women;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of each national governing body's progress on meeting their targets on increasing participation rates among women;

Helen Grant: Sport England's 2013-17 Whole Sport Plan investment in the national governing bodies of sport (NGBs) is focused on increasing overall participation with an emphasis on young people and disabled people. Sport England rigorously reviews the performance of each NGB every six months. Each NGB is subject to a robust performance management regime. This includes a ‘payment for results’ approach that focuses on delivering the participation increases agreed in their Whole Sport Plans. NGBs receiving Sport England investment have ambitious targets to increase participation in their sport and these would not be achievable without the engagement of women. Currently 6.8 million women play sport regularly which is an increase of 530,000 since 2005. Targets set are for overall participation levels for men and women combined; there are no separate women specific targets.

Television: Advertising

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2013, Official Report, column 1086W, on television: advertising, what assessment she has made of the effect on children of the increase in the number of advertisements watched on average.

Edward Vaizey: No such assessment has been made. Section 5 of the BCAP Code (the UK code of broadcast advertising) focuses specifically on advertising to children, and complements the general code provisions that advertisements must not mislead, harm, or cause serious or widespread offence. The Government recognises the importance of maintaining an effective, proportionate regulatory framework to protect children; as such, advertisements for alcohol, or foods high in fat, salt and sugar, for example, are banned in advertisements around programmes aimed at (or likely to appeal to) children.

INDEPENDENT PARLIAMENTARY STANDARDS AUTHORITY COMMITTEE

Freedom of Information

Simon Hart: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, how many freedom of information requests have been received by the IPSA in the last 12 months from (a) members of the public, (b) journalists and (c) others.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated November 2013:
	As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about Freedom of Information requests made to IPSA.
	IPSA has a statutory duty under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to respond to requests for information and does so in line with the principle, as set out by the Information Commissioner's Office, that requests for information should be considered without reference to the identity of the requester or the reasons behind the request.
	In the last 12 months IPSA has received 271 Freedom of Information requests. We are not in a position to know whether the requesters would classify themselves as members of the public, journalists or others.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bovine Tuberculosis

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects the Independent Expert Panel examining the badger culls to report.

George Eustice: The Independent Expert Panel is expected to report in the new year.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2013, Official Report, column 714W, on bovine tuberculosis, for what reasons 155 badger carcasses were examined rather than the figure of 240 provided in response to freedom of information requests; and how the 155 badgers were selected for post-mortem.

George Eustice: Monitoring of humaneness was carried out in line with the protocol approved by the Independent Expert Panel, which planned for up to 120 post-mortems of badgers shot with rifles, and up to 120 post-mortems of badgers shot with shotguns. The small number of post-mortems of badgers shot with shotguns reflects industry’s decision to use mainly rifles.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2013, Official Report, column 714W, on bovine tuberculosis, if he will put mechanisms in place to assess whether the badgers submitted by cull companies for DNA collection by the Independent Panel overseeing the pilots (a) were shot, (b) were shot when already dead and (c) died from causes other than shooting; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: A random sample of the badgers culled in the pilots were subject to post-mortem examination, in which any cause of death other than shooting would have been identified.
	Those badger carcases that were not subject to post-mortem examination were disposed of in accordance with animal by-products legislation.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2013, Official Report, column 714W, on bovine tuberculosis, when he expects the results of post-mortems and tests that have been carried out to be available.

George Eustice: The results of the post-mortems and tests will be considered by the Independent Expert Panel and their report into the safety, effectiveness and humaneness of controlled shooting is expected in the new year.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2013, Official Report, column 714W, on bovine tuberculosis, how many of the 155 badgers subjected to post-mortem examination as part of the assessment of the humaneness of controlled shooting were (a) free shot and (b) cage trapped.

George Eustice: The purpose of the monitoring during the pilots was to assess the effectiveness, safety and humaneness of controlled shooting, not cage trapping and shooting. All of the badgers subjected to post mortem had therefore been killed by controlled shooting.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2013, Official Report, column 714W, on bovine tuberculosis, how many of the badger carcasses submitted by cull companies for DNA collection by the Independent Panel overseeing the pilots have been examined to ascertain cause of death in addition to those subjected to post-mortems as part of the assessment of the humaneness of controlled shooting; how many of those examined were confirmed to have been killed by gunshot; and what causes of death were attributed to any remainder.

George Eustice: A random sample of the badgers culled in the pilots was subject to post mortem examination, in which any cause of death other than shooting would have been identified. Further information can be found at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-diseases/files/badger-cull-iep-monitor-humane-shooting20130307.pdf
	Those badger carcases that were not subject to post mortem examination were disposed of in accordance with animal by-products legislation.

Food: Low Incomes

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the written answer of 28 November 2013, Official Report, column 379W, on food: low incomes, whether the short research project was put out to open tender; and who has peer-reviewed this project.

George Eustice: The research project to review publicly available evidence on the landscape of food aid provision and access in the UK was put out to open tender online, in accordance with Government procurement policy.
	All government-funded research projects are required to go through the necessary review and quality assurance processes prior to publication. The project is subject to review by a range of people both internally and by external experts.

Pay

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what the median gross pay is of staff in his Department and its executive agencies in each pay band who are identified as (a) white British and (b) of black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups;
	(2)  what the median gross pay of (a) men and (b) women is in each pay band in his Department.

Dan Rogerson: The median gross pay of declared White and Black, Asian and other minority ethnic employees (BAME) in Core DEFRA in each pay band as at 30 June 2013:
	
		
			 £ 
			  National Outer London Inner London 
			 Pay range White BAME White BAME White BAME 
			 AO 19,907 n/a n/a n/a 23,045 23,045 
			 AA n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 19,785 
			 EO 24,222 n/a n/a n/a 27,899 28,609 
			 HEO 29,258 n/a n/a n/a 33,473 32,839 
			 HEO (D) n/a n/a n/a n/a 27,787 n/a 
			 SEO 35,253 n/a n/a n/a 39,369 38,255 
			 Grade 7 48,462 n/a n/a n/a 52,669 52,172 
			 Grade 6 n/a n/a n/a n/a 63,377 n/a 
		
	
	
		
			 £ 
			 Pay range White BAME 
			 SCS 71,282 n/a 
		
	
	Answers have only been provided for Core DEFRA. Information relating to the executive agencies could be provided only at disproportionate cost because the data are not held centrally. There is only one pay region for SCS staff, therefore the data are only provided once.
	The data provided only covers employees who have declared their status.
	We do not analyse data across ethnic and nationality lines together so are not able to show data on White British as requested.
	Where any category contains fewer than five people, data are listed as n/a for data protection reasons.
	The median gross pay of male and female employees in Core DEFRA in each pay band as at 30 June 2013:
	
		
			 £ 
			  National Outer London Inner London 
			 Pay range Male Female Male Female Male Female 
			 AA n/a n/a n/a n/a 19,785 19,785 
			 AO 18,837 19,719 n/a n/a 23,045 23,045 
			 EO 24,195 24,195 n/a n/a 28,609 27,899 
			 HEO 30,500 29,344 n/a n/a 32,944 32,679 
			 HEO (D) n/a 27,500 n/a n/a 27,500 27,500 
			 SEO 37,142 35,253 n/a n/a 39,500 38,424 
			 Grade 7 48,055 47,982 n/a n/a 52,689 50,726 
			 Grade 6 60,322 57,469 n/a n/a 63,377 61,567 
		
	
	
		
			 £ 
			 Pay range Male Female 
			 SCS 75,812 70,406 
		
	
	There is only one pay region for SCS staff, therefore the data are only provided once.
	Where any category contains fewer than five people, data are listed as n/a for data protection reasons.

Potatoes

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to support potato growers in the UK.

George Eustice: DEFRA supports potato growers in a number of ways, including through research, funding through the EU common agricultural policy and EU Rural Development Programme, plant health inspections, plant protection product licensing and water abstraction reform. DEFRA funds strategic research to improve the productivity and sustainability of UK farming. Research topics relating to potatoes have included plant genetics, water resource efficiency, pest and disease management and post-harvest storage.

Potatoes

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the EU ban on potato imports on the UK crisp industry.

George Eustice: There is no ban as such. The EU plant health directive (2000/29/EC) permits fresh potato imports from countries which comply with the relevant EU import requirements. These exist to protect all sectors of the EU potato industry, including companies producing crisps. Studies have demonstrated the benefits of retaining freedom from plant diseases, such as ring rot. In most years, the UK produces sufficient potatoes to meet the needs of the crisp industry.

Rabies

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to prevent rabies occurring in the UK.

George Eustice: Every dog, cat and ferret entering the UK must be vaccinated against rabies, with the details of the treatment recorded in an EU pet passport or third country certificate. Animals entering from the EU or from lower risk (‘listed’) countries must wait 21 days after vaccination before travelling. More stringent rules are in place for those coming from higher risk ('unlisted') countries. These include a blood test 30 days after vaccination followed by a three month wait before travelling.
	The UK operates a robust checking regime to make sure that animals entering the UK do not pose a risk to animal and human health. Ferry, rail and air operators are licensed to carry pets on the basis that they check every pet travelling with its owner for compliance with the rules of the EU pet travel scheme. Pets brought into the UK for sale or rehoming are subject to risk-based post import checks. The Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency carries out audit checks on carriers and pet checkers, and liaises with them on a regular basis to assess their compliance.
	The risk of an animal with rabies coming into the UK is assessed to be very low and the risk of rabies being passed from a pet to a person is lower still.

Recruitment

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of staff recruited to his Department since 5 May 2010 were (a) men and (b) women.

Dan Rogerson: Since 5 May 2010, 46% of staff recruited to core DEFRA were men and 54% were women.

Water Charges

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average water bill paid by households in each region of the UK was in each of the last five years.

Dan Rogerson: I have placed a table in the Library of the House which sets out the average charges for each water and sewerage and water only company for the past five years.

Water: Meters

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of households in (a) Barrow and Furness constituency and (b) England have water meters.

Dan Rogerson: United Utilities is the company that serves Barrow and Furness. 32% of household customers in United Utilities’ area of service are metered. Water companies’ areas of appointment are regional; United Utilities does not collate figures on metering on a constituency basis. Currently, 41% of all household customers in England have water meters.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Carbon Monoxide: Alarms

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects the result of the review of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in the private rented sector; and if he will make a statement.

Kris Hopkins: The Government announced a package of measures on 16 October to help hard-working tenants get a better deal when they rent a home, including a review into property conditions in the private rented sector. The review will consider whether landlords should be required to install smoke or carbon monoxide alarms. Following the review, we will publish a summary of the key findings in due course.

Charitable Donations

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to encourage its employees to make tax-free donations direct from their salaries.

Brandon Lewis: The Department has a permanent ‘Give as you earn’ intranet page, which has links to the Charity Aid Foundation and allows employees to donate to any charitable organisation in the UK (including places of worship). We also issue a ‘Give as you earn’ donor instruction form to every new employee of the Department. This allows employees to make regular or permanent donations or open a ‘Charities Aid Foundation’ account.

Council Tax Reduction Schemes

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the localisation of council tax support on (a) carers and (b) disabled people;
	(2)  if he will assess the effect of the localisation of council tax benefit on carers;
	(3)  how many local council tax reduction schemes provide an exemption for working age carers from council tax payment;
	(4)  what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) carers and (b) disabled people who will pay additional council tax as a result of the localisation of council tax benefit.

Brandon Lewis: These are local schemes, and it is for local authorities to ensure that the effect on specific groups of council tax payers is proportionate and fair. We made a £100 million transition grant available in 2013-14 to help councils develop well-designed schemes and maintain incentives to work.
	An independent review of the policy will be carried out within three years. We are working with local authorities to identify the right data sources for that review.

Families: Disadvantaged

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many families supported under the Troubled Families programme have a family member affected by drug or alcohol misuse.

Kris Hopkins: We do not currently have national numbers on the proportion of families affected by these issues, but as part of the independent national evaluation of the programme we are collecting data on drug and alcohol misuse, drawing on locally held information as well as interviews with families themselves.

Housing: Construction

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate he has made of (a) building starts and (b) building completions under the one for one replacement element of the Right to Buy scheme.

Kris Hopkins: The most recent figures on building starts under the Right to Buy scheme were published on 21 November. These show that in the second quarter of this year, building starts were up significantly on previous quarters to 753. The figures are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/259931/LT693.xls
	The Department does not collect data on completions under the Right to Buy scheme. While there will invariably be a certain time lag between the Right to Buy sale and the construction of the new build home, I would simply note that the reinvigorated Right to Buy scheme is helping social tenants become new home owners; levers in new finance to increase construction and house building; and assists new people into affordable housing who would otherwise be on a housing waiting list.

Local Government Finance

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with which local authorities Ministers in his Department have met to discuss the Local Government Finance Settlement 2014-15; what the date of each such meeting was; and who attended on each such occasion.

Brandon Lewis: I have regular meetings with local authorities and others to discuss the full range of issues that affect local authorities. Details of Ministers' meetings with external organisations are published on my Department's website. We will publish the provisional Local Government Finance settlement for 2014-15 for consultation later this month.

Local Government: Press Releases

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on how many occasions his Department has issued draft press releases to local authorities for them to complete using local statistics since May 2010.

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many staff in his Department work on producing template press notices for local authorities;
	(2)  how many template press notices his Department has issued to local authorities since May 2010.

Brandon Lewis: As part of our award-winning public safety Fire Kills campaign, the Department produces monthly themed communications packs for local fire and rescue authorities, our partners in Fire Kills. These packs include a template press release(s). We encourage partners to adapt and use these templates to promote messages locally around the importance of regularly testing smoke alarms and tips for fire safety.
	Some of the smaller fire and rescue authorities have no communications resource at all and are very grateful for these packs. The production of this material is a fraction of a job split between communications and policy staff. A total of 38 packs have been sent out since May 2010.
	A template press release was also developed for local authorities as part of our right to buy campaign. The template is part of a wider toolkit and support offered to local authorities and other social housing landlords to help raise awareness about recent changes to the scheme. Councils (with council housing) have a legal duty to explain how tenants can exercise their right to buy, and this practical resource helps save councils' time and money by reducing duplication. As with Fire Kills the production of this material is one of the wider responsibilities of one member of the marketing team.
	People are four times more likely to die in a fire in their home if there is no working smoke alarm. I am placing in the Library of the House, a copy of a recent Fire Kills pack to illustrate how we are working with local fire and rescue authorities to save lives.
	I would observe that under the last administration, the Department also produced similar communications material and templates.
	Notwithstanding, I refer the right hon. and hon. Members to my answer of 13 June 2013, Official Report, column 386W, which outlines how my Department has cut spending on communications and reduced the number of communications staff, compared to the excessive level under the last administration.

Mobile Homes

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  whether he intends that the licence fees for park home owners will be paid by the site owners or by those holding properties on each site;
	(2)  which criteria will be used by local authorities to set the level of licence fees for park owners; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Williams: Park home owners will not pay licence fees to local authorities. Such fees (where they are charged) will be payable by site owners. In relation to annual fees for administration and monitoring of licences site owners will be able to recover the charge from home owners through pitch fees at the first review following 1 April 2014. No subsequent demands for annual fees (or any increase) can be recovered through an increase to pitch fees.
	Local authorities who propose to charge licence fees for park home sites must do so in accordance with their published fee policy. In fixing fees local authorities must have regard to the matters in subsections (3) and (4) of section 10A of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960. Advice on setting fees is being prepared by the park home site licensing working group, comprised of local authority practitioners and industry trade bodies. This advice will be published shortly.
	The Mobile Homes Act 2013 will better protect the rights and health and safety of park home residents, enable local authorities to more effectively ensure sites are properly managed and maintained and will reduce the opportunity for exploitation by unscrupulous site operators.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library any risk assessment, impact assessment or other similar assessment of the effects on house prices of (a) the Help to Buy equity loan scheme and (b) the Help to Buy mortgage guarantees.

Kris Hopkins: holding answer 5 December 2013
	HM Treasury has responsibility for the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme. The Office for Budget Responsibility is responsible for producing independent economic and fiscal forecasts, including house price forecasts. They will publish the next Economic and Fiscal Outlook at autumn statement.
	I would also refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Glasgow North (Ann McKechin) on 25 March 2013, Official Report, column 902W.

Private Rented Housing: Coventry

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of international students residing in the private rented sector in Coventry.

Kris Hopkins: holding answer 5 December 2013
	The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect data on the nationality of students residing in the private rented sector in Coventry. However, it is possible to produce national estimates using the English Housing Survey.
	In 2011-12, there were an estimated 308,000 non-British or Irish full-time students (aged 16+) residing in the private rented sector in England.

Social Rented Housing: Hampshire

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many social housing units have been built in the New Forest district council area in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many social housing units have been built in the Test Valley borough council area in each of the last three years.

Kris Hopkins: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 27 November 2013, Official Report, column 337W.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the possession of substantial assets by Traveller and Gypsy communities is a factor taken into account in the assessment of planning applications made on behalf of such communities.

Nicholas Boles: holding answer 5 December 2013
	Planning law requires that planning applications for traveller sites must be determined in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
	Material considerations must be genuine planning considerations and should relate to the development and use of land in the public interest. Although it is difficult to imagine that the possession of substantial assets by travellers would meet this test, material considerations will be for the decision-maker and will depend on the individual circumstances of the case.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Documents

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints that submitted paperwork had been lost by the Department have been made to his Department in each of the last five years.

Esther McVey: Each year, DWP serves around 22 million people through a network of about 870 delivery units.
	Information is only available for the last two complete years following changes made in 2011 to the way DWP collects and categorises complaints. Information is as follows:
	
		
			 Volumes April 2012-March 2013 April 2013-October 2013 
			 Complaints received under the new complaints process 48,320 43,037 
			 DWP complaint subcategory: Lost Forms 740 791

Documents

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals have been asked to submit the same paperwork to the Department more than once despite the individual claiming that it had already been sent in the last 12 months.

Esther McVey: DWP does not collate this information.

Employment and Support Allowance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answers of 3 December 2013, Official Report, column 648W, on employment and support allowance, if he will make it his policy to collect such information in future.

Esther McVey: There are no plans to routinely publish this information.

Employment: Young People

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  with reference to the answer from the hon. Member for Wirral West of 20 November 2013 to question 537 at the Work and Pensions Select Committee, HC 479-vi, how many people aged between 18 and 25 have undertaken work experience and entered paid employment after (a) three and (b) six months in (i) the UK and (ii) Scotland;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer from the Minister of State for Employment to question 537 at the Work and Pensions Select Committee evidence session on 20 November 2013, HC 479-vi, how many people aged between 18 and 25 have entered paid employment after (a) three and (b) six months on work experience in (i) the UK and (ii) Scotland.

Esther McVey: Between January 2011 and May 2013, there were 115,320 starts on work experience placements in Great Britain by 18 to 25-year-olds and 10,700 starts by the same age group in Scotland.
	Data for the number of work experience participants that have entered paid employment after six months are not readily available. However, analysis on the early impacts of work experience, published in April 2012, found that five months after starting a work experience placement, 35% of participants were in paid employment. This compares to 27% for a matched group of non participants. At three months after the start of a placement, 31% of participants were in paid employment, compared with 24% for the non-participants.

Hewlett-Packard

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to support those who will lose their jobs as a result of the recently announced redundancies at Hewlett Packard; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: Jobcentre Plus has an employer relationship with Hewlett Packard (HP) as a large national employer through the National Employer Service Team (NEST). In regard to recent announcements, engagement is ongoing at both a national and local level (in those areas to be affected by redundancy). Jobcentre Plus is working with the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) to ensure that we offer a co-ordinated joint approach. An offer of support from Jobcentre Plus including its Rapid Response Service (RRS) has been made to Hewlett Packard. (RRS is a national and local support service provided by Jobcentre Plus and partners which offers bespoke solutions for employers redundancy situations as and when they arise). At this point in time Jobcentre Plus awaits clarification from the employer on their situation. Once their position is defined Jobcentre Plus will progress suitable support.

High Speed Two

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions there have been between the Health and Safety Executive and HS2 Ltd.

Michael Penning: Since September 2012 the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has met with HS2 Ltd on three occasions. These meetings explored HS2 Ltd's plans for managing health and safety risks during the construction phase. HSE also provided information to HS2 Ltd in response to a consultation on its proposed methodology for environmental impact assessment.

Housing Benefit

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance has his Department has provided to local authorities on calculating entitlement to discretionary housing payment.

Steve Webb: Local authorities have discretion in determining discretionary housing payments (DHP) at a local level, based on the circumstance of each individual case.
	DWP provides local authorities with a guidance manual regarding DHPs, along with a good practice guide which offers advice on how DHPs can be used to provide support to claimants affected by some of the key welfare reforms. This information can be accessed through the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/233096/discretionary-housing-payments-guide.pdf
	This year, the Government contribution to discretionary housing payments has been increased to £180 million. As part of this, local authorities are able to bid for funding from a £20 million reserve fund. The scheme is open to bids until 3 February 2014.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of mass summonses issued by local authorities to enforce rent arrears owing to the implementation of the under-occupancy penalty.

Esther McVey: The information is not available.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will commission an investigation into possible links between the under-occupancy penalty and cases of suicide.

Esther McVey: Every suicide is a deeply sad and tragic personal event and a matter for the relevant authorities to investigate.

Jobcentre Plus

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to ensure that (a) Jobcentre Plus carry out an assessment of claimants' levels of computer literacy before requiring them to search for jobs online and (b) those claimants are not sanctioned as a result of being unable to search for jobs online.

Esther McVey: All JSA claimants are required to do all they can reasonably be expected to give themselves the best prospects of securing employment. At the outset of the claim, all claimants see a personal adviser to discuss and agree what they can reasonably be expected to do, taking into account their individual circumstances; and to provide access to help that may be needed to improve employment prospects.
	This process involves assessing things we know increase the chances of finding and getting work, which includes being able to identify and apply for jobs, many of which are now available through on-line recruitment channels. Where searching and applying for jobs online is important, but the claimant lacks the ability or means of doing so, help will be provided. Claimants are expected to take advantage of that help, but nobody is expected to undertake, or be sanctioned for failing to undertake, an activity that is simply unreasonable.

Jobcentre Plus

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 2 December 2013, Official Report, column 517W, on Jobcentre Plus, what estimate he has made of the number of separate claims that did not relate to new claims processed by Jobcentre Plus centres using an 0845 number in 2012-13 by parliamentary constituency.

Esther McVey: Figures for specific locations cannot be provided in isolation. The Department does not record the geographic location of individual calls made to its centres and to do so would be a disproportionate cost.

Jobcentre Plus

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 2 December 2013, Official Report, column 517W, on Jobcentre Plus, what estimate he has made of the mean and median average number of calls per claimant processed by Jobcentre Plus centres using an 0845 number in (a) the UK, (b) Birkenhead constituency and (c) each parliamentary constituency.

Esther McVey: Between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013, the average calls per claimant answered by Jobcentre plus centres in England, Scotland and Wales using an 0845 telephone number equated to 0.41 calls per claimant, per month.
	The median for this same period is 0.40 calls per customer, occurring in February and March 2013.
	Figures for specific locations cannot be provided in isolation. The Department does not record the geographic location of individual calls made to its centres and to do so would be a disproportionate cost.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average length of time in receipt of jobseeker's allowance is for claimants in Chelmsford constituency who are (a) women, (b) men, (c) aged between 16 and 24 and (d) aged over 50.

Esther McVey: The information requested on the median duration for those currently in receipt of jobseeker's allowance in Chelmsford constituency who are (a) women, (b) men, (c)aged between 16 and 24 and (d) aged over 50 can be found in the following table:
	Average claim duration for those currently in receipt of jobseeker's allowance by sex and age in Chelmsford constituency October 2013:
	
		
			 Weeks 
			  All ages median duration Aged 16-24 median duration Aged 50 and over median duration 
			 Total 22.1 13.0 33.3 
			 Male 24.0 15.6 37.3 
		
	
	
		
			 Female 19.7 9.8 25.2 
			 Notes: 1. Claimant count figures do not yet include claimants of universal credit. Further information is available at http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/articles/742.aspx 2. Data rounded to one decimal place. Source: NOMIS claimant count-age and duration

Jobseeker's Allowance: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether and in what circumstances a young person receiving jobseeker's allowance who has told their adviser that they cannot attend a jobcentre appointment because it clashes with a university entrance interview will be sanctioned for not attending the appointment.

Esther McVey: A jobseeker's allowance claimant who notifies in advance that they cannot attend a Jobcentre appointment will have that appointment rearranged if they have a good reason, in the opinion of their adviser, for not being able to attend. Good reason is not defined in legislation, and should be given its every day meaning. Although I would not expect a sanction to be applied in these circumstances, the individual circumstances of each particular claimant will be looked at to ensure that they continue to meet the conditionality requirements for receipt of JSA.

Personal Independence Payment

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have (a) applied for personal independence payment, (b) received a decision and (c) received a negative decision in (i) the UK and (ii) Scotland to date.

Michael Penning: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 November 2013, Official Report, column 516W, to the hon. Member for Stretford and Urmston (Kate Green).

Personal Independence Payment

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who have applied for personal independence payment have requested a face-to-face assessment conducted in their own home; and how many such requests have been agreed to to date.

Michael Penning: Personal independence payment started from April 2013 and although limited data has started to feed through, we need to wait until the Department has quality assured, meaningful figures for publication.
	The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity. We intend to publish Official Statistics on Personal Independence Payment from spring 2014.
	In order to manage the gap between personal independence payment go-live and the first release of Official Statistics in spring 2014, we are assessing whether we can release some information by early 2014. If the quality assurance of this information shows that it is sufficiently robust and reliable then we aim to pre-announce and publish it via an ad-hoc statistical release.

Sick Leave

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 12 November 2013, Official Report, column 595W, on sick leave, what new integrated approaches the Government is exploring across the mental health and employment system.

Michael Penning: The Government has commissioned RAND Europe to explore how we can achieve better outcomes for people with mental health problems, in and out of work. The Psychological Wellbeing and Work project explores how to better align mental health and employment services for people with common mental health problems to achieve improved employment outcomes. The project report will be published shortly. The advice will inform thinking about next steps not only for government but for all who have a role to play including employers, commissioners, service providers and individuals.
	The Government will also be publishing an employment strategy for disabled people and those with health conditions, including mental health conditions, before the end of this year.

Social Security Benefits

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have exited the benefits system without securing employment in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Esther McVey: The Department uses off-flow rates to measure its effectiveness in moving people quickly off benefit. It is not feasible for the Department to capture the destination for each of the people that leave benefits, as it would be very costly and time-consuming to undertake.
	The Department does seek to match its off-flow admin data with data from HMRC to calculate the number of people who we know have moved into employment; however that process does not give a true indication of the likely volumes. The HMRC data only contain people with a P45/46 record, and not everyone leaving benefits earns enough income to have this record, thus under-reporting the number moving into work.
	Using departmental datasets we can isolate the number of people who immediately returned to benefit once they “off-flowed”. The latest 12 months for which we have data (using the on-flow cohorts August 2011 to July 2012) show that of the 3.22 million people that flowed on to JSA 89.4% (2.88 million) had left by a year later.
	Of that 2.88 million:
	23.2% (667,000) flowed back on to benefit or left the active labour market (e.g. retired);
	18.5% (534,500) found work;
	the remainder (1.68 million) went into “potential employment”, where we do not have a definite destination but these could include those that moved into employment.

Social Security Benefits

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to support people who have difficulty accessing the benefits system.

Esther McVey: The Department is keen to ensure that all people, however complex their needs, are able to access its services and we take a variety of steps to provide help and support to enable individuals to engage with DWP and access the benefit system. The support we offer is tailored to the personal needs of the individual and depends on which service is being used or which benefit is being claimed.
	Some of the products and services we offer are underpinned by legal requirements. For example the Equality Act 2010 states that disabled people need to be identified so that DWP can meet its obligations as a provider of goods and services by:
	giving access to specialist disability service help if needed, as a result of a person's disability; and
	making reasonable adjustments to its services for disabled people.
	The support offered by DWP includes a variety of communication methods: face to face contact on our premises; home visits; telephony; online services; and written communications in alternative formats such as large text. We also provide aids such as textphones and audio loops, as well as interpreting services. Our customers can use a representative or intermediary to help them to engage with us.
	A range of guidance, learning and development opportunities, advice and information is available for our staff to help them provide additional support for individuals with complex needs or those that require additional support to enable them to access benefits and use our services.

Social Security Benefits

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what emergency support is available for people who have experienced delays that are not their fault in claiming benefits.

Esther McVey: Once a claim to benefit has been received by the Department, a short term benefit advance may be available to those in financial need who cannot manage until their first payment of benefit.
	However, 92% of benefit claims are processed on time (within 16 days): 6 percentage points higher than in 2009-10.

Social Security Benefits: Immigrants

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an estimate of the total cost to the public purse of welfare claims by Bulgarian and Romanian migrants in the last year for which figures are available.

Esther McVey: Information on the number of Bulgarian and Romanian nationals in receipt of jobseeker's allowance, employment and support allowance, carer's allowance, income support and disability living allowance is not available. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs has the responsibility for child tax credit.
	We currently check the nationality and immigration status of benefit claimants to ensure the benefit is paid properly and to prevent fraud. While this information is used, it is not recorded as part of the payment administrative systems.
	The Government is looking at ways to record the nationality and immigration status of migrants who make a claim for universal credit so that we have more robust information about our claimants.

Social Security Benefits: Mental Illness

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to support mental health service users throughout the process of their claim for benefits.

Esther McVey: The Department is keen to ensure that all people, including those with mental health conditions, are able to access its services and we take a variety of steps to provide help and support to enable individuals to engage with DWP. The support we offer is tailored to the personal needs of the individual and depends on which service is being used or which benefit is being claimed.
	People with mental health conditions may be able to access specialist disability services (if appropriate) and adjustments may be made to the way services and support are provided to facilitate their access.
	The support offered by DWP includes a variety of communication-methods: face to face contact on our premises; home visits; telephony; online services, and written communications in a range of formats. Customers with mental health conditions may wish to use a representative or intermediary to help them to engage with us.
	A range of guidance, learning and development opportunities, advice and information is available for our staff to help them provide additional support for individuals with complex needs or those that require additional support to enable them to access benefits and use our services.
	All Jobcentre Plus advisers are trained to have the skills required to identify the right support for a range of customers, including those with health conditions or disabilities, including mental health conditions. The approach to helping people back to work is based upon providing personalised support. As part of this, the adviser will provide information about and access to the range of support available to help improve job prospects and overcome things, such as a mental health condition, that may make it harder to find work.

Standard of Living

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the report of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Working and Living Conditions entitled Quality of Life in Europe: subjective well-being, published on 7 November 2013.

Esther McVey: DWP analysts are active members of the cross-government Social Impacts Task Force which shares research and approaches for considering subjective well-being in policy. The Department has published a number of relevant research reports and policy evaluations over the last year on this subject particularly looking at the subjective well-being of jobseekers and employment interventions, and developing an innovative life course model. We have a programme of ongoing work and welcome reports such as this which contribute to our thinking.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans that the integrated risk intelligence system for universal credit will be implemented.

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the universal credit IT system’s anti-fraud module will become operational.

Esther McVey: Enhanced security and counter-fraud controls are being progressively developed to support universal credit as it is rolled out.
	Within the current universal credit service there is already risk assessment of all claims received. This is delivered using a rule-based data matching service built on existing technology that directs the requirement for any additional documentary evidence or specialist attention where indicated. Once in payment all claims are regularly checked for the potential for heightened risk based on unreported changes and new information being available, and referred for specialist intervention where required.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the business case for an outsourced fraud and error checking service for universal credit.

Esther McVey: We currently have no plans to outsource the fraud and error checking service.
	Our benefit integrity centres have been successful in examining claims and putting them right, and we have delivered £1,185 million of savings over the SR10 period, from the start of activity to the end of September 2013 as a result.
	We will always look to ways of improving delivery of our services and therefore this position is always open to review.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress he has made in removing from universal credit the costs of supported housing services which do not meet the current definition of exempt accommodation.

Steve Webb: Regulations to protect residents of supported “exempt” accommodation who are already recipients of universal credit came into effect in October this year. Officials continue to work closely with stakeholders to extend similar protection to providers that do not meet the precise definition from unintended consequences of reform while recognising the necessary legislative and financial constraints.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the savings to his Department from reduced fraud and error as a result of introduction of universal credit.

Esther McVey: We estimate that the savings to the Department from reduced fraud and error once universal credit is fully rolled out will be £1.3 billion per annum.
	Note:
	This figure is in 2012-13 prices.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the additional annual cost to the Exchequer would be of increasing the savings threshold for universal credit from £16,000 to £25,000.

Esther McVey: The additional annual cost to the Exchequer of increasing the upper capital limit within universal cost is estimated at £70 million.
	Notes:
	1. The analysis consistent with the Autumn Statement 2013, and is based on universal credit in steady-state.
	2. The figures given are in 2013-14 prices.
	3. This analysis has been modelled using the Department’s Policy Simulation Model, using data from the Family Resources Survey, 2010-11.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the annual cost to the Exchequer would be of reducing the universal credit withdrawal rate by one percentage point.

Esther McVey: The additional annual cost to the Exchequer of reducing the taper rate within universal credit from 65% to 64% is estimated at £300 million.
	Notes:
	1. The analysis consistent with the Autumn Statement 2013, and is based on universal credit in steady-state.
	2. The figures given are in 2013-14 prices.
	3. This analysis has been modelled using the Department's Policy Simulation Model, using data from the Family Resources Survey, 2010-11.

Universal Credit

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of recipients of universal credit in April 2014.

Esther McVey: Universal credit is now operating in seven areas and we remain on track to roll out in Bath, Harrogate and Shotton by next spring. We announced our plans for the next stage of implementation on 5 December, and these were set out in a written ministerial statement. The WMS can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/news/universal-credit-progress
	Official statistics on universal credit were published on 3 December and can be found at:
	http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/UC/Universal_Credit.html

Work Capability Assessment: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people underwent work capability assessments who had a (a) musculo-skeletal condition and (b) mental health condition in each (i) county and (ii) parliamentary constituency in Wales to date.

Michael Penning: We cannot provide a break down of the information in the way requested, as it is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
	However, we can provide information on the number of new claims for employment and support allowance (ESA) by claimants with a musculo-skeletal condition and a mental health condition in Wales. This is shown in the following table;
	
		
			 New claims-Outcomes of initial functional assessments in Wales-October 2008 to February 2013 
			  Outcomes of claims where functional assessment has been completed Status of claims where functional assessment has not been completed  
			 Condition groups Entitled to ESA placed in either work related activity group or support group Fit for work Closed before assessment Still in progress Total case load 
			 Mental health disorders 21,800 25,700 22,700 8,200 78,300 
			 Musculoskeletal disorders 6,400 11,500 9,100 2,800 29,800 
			 Notes: 1. There is a reporting lag of approximately eight-months at the issuing date of this statistical output owing to the time needed to process data and time allowed to enable each cohort's assessment phase to elapse. 2. Figures rounded to nearest hundred. Totals may not sum due to the rounding method used. 3. Condition groups are based on the International Classification of Diseases (2010) Source: Department for Work and Pensions benefit administration dataset

Work Programme

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  with reference to the answer from Neil Couling of 20 November 2013 to question 559 to the Work and Pensions Select Committee, HC 479-vi, how many people have completed the Work Programme in each month since June 2013 in (a) the UK and (b) Scotland; and how many such people have stopped claiming either jobseeker's allowance or employment and support allowance.
	(2)  pursuant to the answer from the Work Services Director, Department for Work and Pensions, to question 559 at the Work and Pensions Select Committee evidence session on 20 November 2013, HC 479-vi, how many people have completed their time on the Work Programme in each month since June 2013 in (a) the UK and (b) Scotland; and how many of these groups have stopped claiming either jobseeker's allowance or employment and support allowance in (i) the UK and (ii) Scotland.

Esther McVey: The information requested on the number of people who have completed the Work programme since June 2013 will be derived from the Management Information shared by Neil Couling with the Work and Pensions Select Committee and will be included in the next quarterly release.
	Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Social Development. Northern Ireland statistics can be found at:
	http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research.htm

Work Programme

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the work programme for people claiming employment and support allowance.

Esther McVey: Almost 200,000 ESA claimants have been referred to the programme. Over 6,000 (3%) of them have found lasting work (of at least three months). Industry data shows that around 15% of the ESA jobseekers who have been on the programme for the longest have got a job.
	ESA claimants in the Work Related Activity Group are expected to move closer to the workplace, which work related activity helps them to do.
	While the Work programme has made some good progress with this group, focusing on giving some of the hardest to help people two years of support, and offering providers higher prices for working with these claimants, we recognise the programme needs to do better. That is why we have asked every single provider to come to us with a clear plan, setting out the steps they are going to take to improve performance for this group.
	In addition, the independently chaired Work Programme Building Best Practice Group has been set up to help organisations delivering the Work programme find the best ways to support the harder to help and to share knowledge of what works.

Work Programme: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations his Department has received from (a) hon. Members and (b) other sources on the interaction of the Work programme and Jobs Growth Wales.

Esther McVey: Department for Work and Pension officials hold regular meetings with officials from the Welsh Government to discuss policy.
	The Welsh Affairs Committee addressed the issue of the interaction between the Work programme and Welsh Government programmes.
	On 21 November 2013, I spoke to Ken Skates, Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology in the Welsh Assembly Government where we discussed the Work programme and Jobs Growth Wales.
	Following the publication of the Welsh Affairs Committee report, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith) also met the Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Member for Clwyd West (Mr Jones).
	We have received parliamentary questions from the hon. Member for Vale of Clwyd (Chris Ruane).
	Work programme providers have expressed disappointment that Work programme participants are currently excluded from Welsh Assembly funded opportunities available to other unemployed people in Wales, citing the difference in England where Work programme participants can access complementary support from other agencies. The Department has also been contacted by interested parties in relation to specific instances where claimants have been unable to access support.
	We are working with the Welsh Government to see if this situation can be improved.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 4 September 2013, Official Report, column 391W, on Shaker Aamer, what the outcome was of his talks with his US counterpart on (a) the closure of Guantánamo Bay and (b) the release of prisoner Shaker Aamer.

Hugh Robertson: The British Government continues to engage in discussions with the US regarding Mr Aamer’s case. Following the Prime Minister’s representations to President Obama in June, the Deputy Prime Minister raised Mr Aamer’s case with Vice-President Biden in September. We are confident that the US Government understands the seriousness of the UK’s request for Mr Aamer’s release. It is necessary for the UK Government to keep the details of diplomatic discussions with the United States Administration confidential. Any breach of the United States Administration’s expectation of confidentiality would likely hinder UK efforts to secure Mr Aamer’s release and return. We remain committed to assisting the US in its aim to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and maintain an active dialogue with the US on this issue.

Afghanistan

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the hunger strike in Guantánamo Bay; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: The British Government continues to note reports regarding the hunger strike at the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. We maintain an active dialogue with the US Government regarding humanitarian issues at the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and remain committed to assisting the US in its aim to close the facility.

Charitable Donations

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to encourage its employees to make tax-free donations direct from their salaries.

Hugh Robertson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is a strong supporter of the Payroll Giving and Give as you Earn schemes. To promote the schemes the FCO has detailed messaging on our internal website, explaining to staff the benefits of the schemes and how they can apply. We regularly circulate reminders to staff and run workshops on the operation of the schemes. The number of staff using these schemes has risen by approximately 10% from January 2012 to summer 2013.

Egypt

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the new laws on protests signed by the acting Egyptian president on 24 November 2013; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Hugh Robertson: We are aware that the protest law has been signed by Interim President Mansour. We believe it is important for the Egyptian Government to engage with the concerns raised by the UN Secretary-General and others. We will continue to follow developments closely.

Human Trafficking: EU Action

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the EU Commission and the European Parliament on human trafficking and modern day slavery.

David Lidington: Human trafficking and modern slavery are abhorrent crimes which destroy the lives of their victims. We routinely engage with the European institutions including the Commission and Europol, where the UK leads the strand of work on the trafficking in human beings threat. As part of the Government's international engagement, we work closely with other governments including European partners, to disrupt supply routes.

Israel

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answers of 11 June 2012 and 17 December 2012, what recent contact and discussions the British Ambassador to Israel has had with the Negev Coexistence Forum.

Hugh Robertson: Officials from the British embassy in Tel Aviv met with the head of the Negev Coexistence Forum on 28 November.

Israel

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Ministers in his Department plan to visit the unrecognised Bedouin villages of the Negev.

Hugh Robertson: My predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), visited unrecognised Bedouin villages in the Negev in January 2012.

Syria

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with its international partners to seek greater humanitarian access to families trapped in besieged areas of Syria whose vulnerability is increased by the onset of winter.

Hugh Robertson: We are actively engaging with our international partners to bring about a negotiated political transition in Syria to end the conflict and alleviate Syria’s humanitarian crisis. We have intensified our efforts with partners on the UN Security Council, in the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the UN-led High Level Group on Humanitarian Challenges in Syria chaired by Baroness Amos (UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs) in pushing for full implementation of the UN Security Council Presidential statement of 2 October which called on all parties to allow unfettered access for humanitarian aid. The High Level Group, which was attended by UK officials, met for the first time on 26 November and will meet again on 19 December. We also maintain a regular dialogue with the humanitarian agencies active in the region to monitor developments on the ground.

Ukraine

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the statement of 2 December 2013, Official Report, column 36WS, on Eastern Partnership summit, which EU member states did not express disappointment that Ukraine was not signing its association agreement with the EU.

David Lidington: The statement of 2 December 2013, Official Report, column 36WS, reported back on the Eastern Partnership summit. Due to the restricted nature of the meeting, I am unable to report individual member states views to the wider public. I refer my hon. Friend to the Joint Declaration, endorsed by all EU member states and the eastern partners, which clearly sets out a consolidated view on progress made by the Eastern Partnership. The Joint Declaration can be found using the following link at:
	http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/139765.pdf

Ukraine

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts from NATO member states on Ukraine.

David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), attended the NATO Foreign Ministerial meeting on 3 December. Along with other NATO Foreign Ministers, he made clear his concerns to hear reports of violence being used to break up a peaceful demonstration in Ukraine and the need for the incident to be fully investigated. A NATO statement was adopted which condemned the. violence used against demonstrators while also recognising the value of Ukraine's contributions to international security:
	http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/news_105435.htm
	At the Eastern Partnership summit on 28 and 29 November, the Prime Minister also discussed Ukraine with his counterparts including many NATO members.

JUSTICE

Children: Maintenance

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what support he offers parents who are bound by an out-dated court order which demands that child maintenance is paid until the child has ceased full time education but does not clarify the definition of full time education.

Shailesh Vara: Under the provisions of schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989 it is possible to apply to the court for an order for maintenance of a child. Any order would not normally extend beyond the child's eighteenth birthday unless there are special needs (such as disability) or if the child is in education or training.
	The definition of education or training in paragraph 2 (a) of schedule 1 to the 1989 Act is “receiving instruction at an educational establishment or undergoing training for a trade, profession or vocation, whether or not while in gainful employment”.
	The Government believes this definition is sufficiently wide and necessary to cover the needs of children who are in full-time education or training for whom applications are made to court for maintenance. Court forms and court leaflets provide some assistance in making applications.

Coroners

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department takes to ensure that Regulation 28 coroners' investigations and the implementation of recommendations of those investigations are carried out in a timely and efficient manner.

Shailesh Vara: A person or organisation that receives a Prevention of Future Death (PFD) report under regulation 28 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013 must respond to the coroner within 56 days. The response must detail the action the person or organisation has taken or will take and the timetable for this, or must explain why no action is proposed. The coroner must send the Chief Coroner a copy of every PFD report and response, which the Chief Coroner may then publish.
	On 4 September 2013 the Chief Coroner published guidance for coroners on PFD reports:
	http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/Resources/JCO/Documents/coroners/guidance/guidance-no5-reports-to-prevent-future-deaths.pdf
	In that guidance the Chief Coroner said that he intends to consult on areas of concern highlighted by PFD reports and, where appropriate, recommend action in the form of advice to organisations or individuals.
	Under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 the Chief Coroner must include details of PFD reports in his annual report to the Lord Chancellor, which is then published and laid before Parliament.

Courts: Domestic Violence

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 28 October 2013, Official Report, columns 379-80W, on domestic violence, where the nine domestic violence courts that were closed were located; where the two new courts will be located; and on what date the decision was taken to open the two new courts.

Shailesh Vara: The locations of the closed special domestic violence cases (SDVC) courts are as follows: Tamworth, Lewes, Hemel Hempstead, Barry, Salford, Rochdale, Knowsley, Andover and Alton. Most of the domestic violence cases from these closed courts were moved to other existing SDVC schemes.
	The location of the two new SDVCs will be at existing courts sites at Basingstoke and Aldershot. These courts are currently going through the accreditation process.
	The National Steering Group (made up with members from the Home Office, CPS, NOMS and HMCTS) will decide when to award these two sites with SDVC accreditation. The Steering Group is due to meet in December 2013 to discuss SDVC accreditation for Basingstoke, and September 2014 for Aldershot.

Curfews

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of eligible (a) men and (b) women were released on home detention curfew in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: The home detention curfew (HDC) scheme enables a managed transition to the community in suitable cases, using electronically monitored curfew to provide some structure for lower risk offenders as they leave prison and reintegrate into society. In 2012 the overall HDC release rate was 25% of those in the eligible group. For men it was 24% while for women it was 40%. There are a number of factors which may contribute to female prisoners being more likely to be released on HDC but overall it is because they are more likely to pass the required risk and suitability assessment. A smaller proportion of female offenders are serving sentences for sexual and violent offences and women have lower reconviction rates compared to men and are, therefore, more likely to be assessed as likely to comply if released.
	The proportion of eligible male and female prisoners released under the home detention curfew (HDC) scheme is published in table A3.4 of the Offender Management Statistics Annual Tables which may be found at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/offender-management-statistics-quarterly--2

Electronic Tagging

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice to what body the cost of the PricewaterhouseCoopers' inquiry into irregularities in performance of the electronic monitoring contracts held by Serco and G4S will be charged.

Jeremy Wright: The two suppliers have agreed to meet the cost of this work.

Electronic Tagging

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost of the PricewaterhouseCoopers' inquiry into irregularities in performance of the electronic monitoring contracts held by Serco and G4S has been to date.

Jeremy Wright: We do not yet have a final figure, as the audit is still in progress. As at the end of September 2013, the cost of this work by PricewaterhouseCoopers had come to a total of approximately £3.2 million.
	The total cost will be recovered from G4S and Serco.

EU Law

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what EU directives within his Department's areas of responsibility have come into force without the need for an opt-in decision in each financial year since May 2010; on what dates each such directive came into force; and if he will make a statement.

Shailesh Vara: Details of all EU legislation, including full details of all EU directives that have come into force since May 2010, can be found on the Commission's website:
	http://eur-lex.europa.eu/RECH_legislation.do

Legal Aid Scheme

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effect of proposed changes to legal aid and judicial review on parents' (a) ability to use the judicial review process and (b) ability to access legal aid when they believe that their local authority is failing in its duties to a child; and if he will make a statement.

Shailesh Vara: On 6 September 2013 the Government published the ‘Judicial Review; Proposals for Further Reform’ consultation. The Government is concerned about the time and money wasted in dealing with unmeritorious judicial reviews which may be brought simply to generate publicity or to delay implementation of a decision that was properly made. We also remain concerned that legal aid funds weak cases which are not permitted by the court to proceed beyond the permission stage.
	Our proposals are intended to ensure that judicial review continues to act as a critical check on the state and that limited legal aid resources are properly targeted where they are needed most. We do not consider that our proposals would limit parents' or other individuals’ ability to use the judicial review process or access legal aid in meritorious cases.
	As part of the consultation we published an assessment of impacts and equalities impacts which is available at:
	https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/judicial-review
	and sought further information on potential equalities implications.
	The consultation closed on 1 November 2013 and the Government will have carefully considered all responses, including on potential equalities impacts, before setting out how it intends to proceed.

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on offender behaviour programmes in each of the last five years; and what spend is projected in each of the next three years.

Jeremy Wright: The overall spend for the last five years on the delivery of offender behaviour programmes (both accredited and other interventions) in the community and custody is not available and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.
	Figures are available that show that the direct cost of delivering accredited offending behaviour programmes in the community was £43.6 million in 2011-12 and £40.3 million in 2012-13. No figures are available prior to 2011-12. This figure does not cover the expenditure on all interventions aimed at tackling offending behaviour. From 2012-13, the targeting of accredited offending behaviour programmes was towards higher risk offenders as the evidence suggested that these offenders were the most likely to respond to this type of intervention. This meant that there were fewer accredited programmes delivered overall but those that were delivered were the more intensive programmes aimed at higher risk offenders. For those offenders who were no longer targeted for accredited programmes, probation trusts have developed a wider range of activity requirements which incentivised the development of innovative approaches to reducing reoffending and which were targeted at lower risk offenders.
	Equivalent costs for delivering programmes in prisons are not available. The National Offender Management Service's central accounting system does not record separately expenditure on each offender behaviour programme in prisons in England and Wales. To establish such costs in each of the last five years would require an individual prison survey to identify all the offender behaviour programmes delivered and associated costs. This would be a significant exercise and could be done only at disproportionate cost.
	It is not possible at this stage to state the projected spend on programmes for the next three years. The current commissioning round is still in progress and we therefore do not yet know how many programmes and of what type will be commissioned for 2014-15. However, the very clear intention is not to disinvest in programmes.

Police Custody: Wrexham

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he discussed Wrexham Magistrates' Court and police cells in Wrexham with the Chair of the Wrexham Magistrates at meetings in the last year; and what steps he took following any such discussion.

Shailesh Vara: There have been no departmental meetings between the Secretary of State and the chair of the Wrexham Magistrates about Wrexham magistrates court and police cells in Wrexham in the last year.

Prison Service

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department has taken to ensure that families of prisoners are able to access up-to-date contact details of prisons online.

Jeremy Wright: Prison information is available on the Ministry of Justice's website and gov.uk. A prison finder allows users to search for prisons by name, type and region and includes contact details as well as general information on the regime and visiting information for each prison.
	Prison Governors are responsible for ensuring that contact details are up to date for the public. NOMS writes to all prison governors periodically asking them to review their online information and this was last done in March 2013.
	NOMS also ensures that all online information is updated following any changes in the prison estate such as closures or the transfer of management of a prison to the public or private sector.

Prisons: Discipline

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many (a) female and (b) male prisoners per 100 of the prison population were disciplined following adjudications in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many (a) female and (b) male prisoners per 100 of the prison population were disciplined following adjudications for violent incidents in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: Adjudications contribute to maintaining order and control, and a safer environment, within prison establishments.
	Statistics on offences punished through the prison adjudication process are published annually in ‘Offender Management Statistics—Annual tables’ and the 2012 figures can be found in Table A5.3 of the adjudication tables via the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/offender-management-statistics-quarterly--2
	The published adjudication figures available via the above link are based on the number of offences punished rather than the number of prisoners punished to ensure that all offences committed are recorded and reported as prisoners can commit more than one offence.

Prisons: Doncaster

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost to the public purse has been to date of the Doncaster cluster prison competition.

Jeremy Wright: The Prison Competition Programme did not assign resources solely to oversee the South Yorkshire prisons element of the competition (covering HMPs Hatfield, Moorland and Lindholme). The work to compete South Yorkshire was undertaken by the programme team running the wider prison competition.
	In addition, a business unit was established to prepare in-house bids for all the prisons being competed and not just those in South Yorkshire.

Prisons: Health Services

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  when (a) he, (b) his ministerial colleagues and (c) officials in his Department have met representatives of the NHS to discuss prison healthcare since May 2010;
	(2)  when (a) he and (b) his ministerial colleagues have met their counterparts in the Department for Health to discuss prison healthcare since May 2010.

Jeremy Wright: Ministry of Justice Ministers discuss offender health, including prison health care, with Ministers and officials regularly, both bilaterally and as part of wider cross-Government meetings, for example the Social Justice Cabinet Committee and the Inter Ministerial Group on Drugs.
	Aside from those inter-Governmental meetings, my predecessor Crispin Blunt met with those within the scope of the questions on at least nine occasions; and I have held at least 11 such meetings to date.
	The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling) has also held discussions with the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), and has met with Baroness Browning to discuss autism in prisons.

Prisons: Private Sector

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will list, for each contract to run private prison in England and Wales, the contractual terms and conditions which allow the Secretary of State to (a) terminate the contract early and (b) take over the running of the prison.

Jeremy Wright: An answer to the question posed by the right hon. Member will be provided in due course.
	Not all private prison contracts have discrete references to early termination and step-in rights. Termination provisions may vary from contract to contract, particularly between older PFI contracts and more recent Manage and Maintain contracts. Each contract will therefore need to be reviewed individually, and redacted where necessary to meet commercial confidentiality provisions in the contract, before I can respond.

Procurement

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which contracts his Department holds with (a) Capita, (b) A4E, (c) G4S, (d) Serco, (e) GeoAMEY, (f) Sodexo and (g) Mitie; when each contract started; how much each contract is expect to cost over its lifetime; when each contract is due to end; whether there are any options in the contract for extension; whether any financial penalties have been incurred by each contractor to date; and whether each such contract has a break clause.

Jeremy Wright: The answer to the question tabled by the right hon. Member will be answered in due course. The requested data are not held centrally in their entirety and answering the request will require approaching individual contract managers to gather and validate data.

Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2013, Official Report, column 902W, on secondment, how many secondments were in place on (a) 30 September 2012 and (b) 30 September 2011.

Shailesh Vara: Information held on the Ministry of Justice's central systems on the number of secondees as at 30 September 2012 and 30 September 2011 is set out in the following table.
	
		
			 Ministry of Justice secondments 
			  30 September 2012 30 September 2011 
			 Secondment in 5 5 
			 Secondment out 18 21

TREASURY

Commodity Markets

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the European Commission's proposals of 30 September 2013 to curb excessive speculation in the commodity derivative markets under the revised markets in financial instruments directive; and if he will make representations in its support.

Sajid Javid: The Government has given careful consideration to the effective methods of regulation and supervision of commodity derivatives. The Government supports a management regime based on strong supervision, market monitoring and a comprehensive suite of tools deployed by market operators.

Debts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the levels of household debt in (a) Vale of Clwyd and (b) each region of the UK in each year since 2010; and what such levels are forecast to be in each year until 2015.

Nicky Morgan: The Office for National Statistics does not publish debt data for households on a regional or local basis, but does so on a national level.
	The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast the ratio of household debt to income.

Debts: Essex

Simon Burns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the levels of household debt in (a) Chelmsford constituency and (b) Essex in each year since 2010; and what forecast he has made of those levels for each year until 2015.

Nicky Morgan: The Office for National Statistics does not publish debt data for households on a regional or local basis, but does do so on a national level.
	The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast the ratio of household debt to income.

Fracking

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to encourage investment in hydraulic fracturing technologies and exploration of shale onshore and offshore gas reserves.

Nicky Morgan: The Government has introduced a new tax allowance to incentivise investment in onshore oil and gas projects—including shale gas. The onshore allowance will reduce the tax rate on a portion of a company’s profits from 62% to 30% and works similarly to existing allowances for offshore oil and gas. Companies will pay at the reduced rate on profits equal to 75% of their capital investment on qualifying onshore projects.
	While it is currently to early to assess the potential for offshore shale gas production, the Government will keep the case for fiscal support here under review.

Gift Aid

Richard Fuller: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to replace Gift Aid with a system of personal income tax deductions for charitable giving.

Nicky Morgan: The Government has no current plans to replace Gift Aid with a relief for donors on their donations to charity. Under Gift Aid, the charity receiving the donation can claim the basic rate tax paid on that donation. The Government recognises this is an important source of income for charities, and last year £1.04 billion was repaid to charities under Gift Aid.

Income Tax

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people liable to pay income tax in (a) Kettering constituency and (b) the UK in May 2010 who will not be so liable in May 2014 as a result of increases in the personal tax allowance.

David Gauke: The cumulative effect of the Government’s increases in the personal allowance for those aged under 65 years (born after 5 April 1948 from 2013-14 tax year) since 2010-11 will take 2.7 million people out of the UK income tax system by April 2014. 199,000 of them are in the east midlands region which includes the parliamentary constituency of Kettering.
	These estimates are based on the 2010-11 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2014-15 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2013 economic and fiscal outlook.
	Reliable estimates are not available at the parliamentary constituency level due to greater uncertainties in making projections for smaller geographic areas.

Mortgages

Alun Cairns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the effect on lending of the Mortgage Market Review and the changes which come into effect in April 2014.

Sajid Javid: The Financial Services Authority published the Mortgage Market Review in October 2012. Its rules will be implemented by the Financial Conduct Authority in April 2014. As part of the consultations and policy statements on the Mortgage Market Review rules, the Financial Services Authority published cost benefit analyses of the Mortgage Market Review rules, which can be found on the Financial Conduct Authority's website.

Taxation: Alcoholic Drinks

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total receipts of taxation, including VAT and duty, on alcohol were in each year since 2007.

Nicky Morgan: Information on excise duty receipts from alcohol products are published monthly in the Alcohol Bulletins on the UK Trade Statistics website. Information for financial years since 2007 is presented in the following table:
	
		
			 Alcohol 
			  £ million 
			 2006-07 7,913 
			 2007-08 8,302 
			 2008-09 8,470 
			 2009-10 9,012 
			 2010-11 9,397 
			 2011-12 10,036 
			 2012-13 10,219 
		
	
	VAT collected on alcohol products is not available. Therefore the total revenue collected from the taxation of alcohol is not available.

Taxation: Gun Sports

David Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much annual tax revenue is expected to accrue to the Exchequer from beaters in the shooting industry; and what the cost is of the real time reporting system that has recently been implemented for such people.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are unable to determine the tax revenue expected to be generated by this industry.
	Reliable estimates of administrative cost burdens, broken down by business sectors, are not available within HMRC.
	HMRC published a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) on 15 March 2013 that included an updated assessment of the impact that PAYE Real Time Information (RTI) will have on businesses. HMRC plans to provide an updated estimate of these cost burdens in the next update to the TIIN.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many penalties were issued for the failure to complete and return online self assessment tax forms by the deadline set by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) (a) in total and (b) on occasions where the unique tax reference (UTR) number was not allocated by HMRC within its stipulated timeframe in each of the last five years; and whether he will waive such penalties in future where no UTR has been issued in time;
	(2)  what the (a) average and (b) maximum waiting time for the allocation of unique tax reference numbers for online self assessment was in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: This information is available only at a disproportionate cost.
	HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will not issue a letter requesting completion of a self assessment tax return until a unique taxpayer reference number (UTR) has been allocated.
	Requests for tax returns issued later in the filing period have a deadline for them to be completed of three months following the date shown on the letter. Therefore, taxpayers should complete their tax return within three months of the date of issue shown on the letter or by 31 October (for paper returns) or 31 January (for online returns), whichever is the most beneficial.

Welfare Tax Credits: EU Nationals

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale West of 2 December 2013, Official Report, column 567W, on welfare tax credits: EU nationals, what the target date is by which he plans to bring the rules for tax credits into alignment with the measures announced by the Prime Minister.

Nicky Morgan: HM Revenue and Customs will continue to work closely with the Department for Work and' Pensions to ensure that tax credits rules applying to EEA nationals align with those for DWP benefits where appropriate.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2013, Official Report, column 431W, on Afghanistan, how many aircraft of each type suffered damage.

Philip Dunne: I am withholding the information requested as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Afghanistan

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2013, Official Report, column 399, on Afghanistan, if he will publish the (a) location, (b) type of incident to which each payment related and (c) amount of each payment.

Mark Francois: I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Armed Forces: Training

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel have been trained at US Altus Air Force base since the C-17 has come into service; and if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of such training.

Andrew Murrison: The information will take time to collate. The Minister for the Armed Forces, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois), will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available.
	Substantive answer from Mark Francois to Angus Robertson:
	Further to the response given by my hon. Friend the Minister for International Security Strategy, (Dr Andrew Murrison), on 27 November 2013, (Official Report, column 310W), officials have now collated the information on the number of personnel trained at Altus Air Force Base and the cost to the public purse.
	Between 2001, when the C-17 aircraft entered service, and November 2013, 263 RAF personnel have been trained at Altus Air Force Base at a cost of approximately 6.9 million US Dollars. This sum does not include travel and subsistence costs.

Charitable Donations

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to encourage its employees to make tax-free donations direct from their salaries.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) encourages all personnel, service and civilian, to make tax-efficient donations to a charity or charities of their choice by joining the MOD charities payroll giving scheme (CPGS) or one of the similar schemes which are operated at command level. Under the terms of the CPGS scheme any PAYE liability is calculated after the payroll giving contribution has been deducted from gross pay, meaning the tax that would have been paid on that amount is instead received by the nominated charities.
	CPGS has been in operation since July 2007 and is administered by Charitable Giving, one of the three largest HMRC-approved payroll giving agencies in the country. Details of how to participate in the scheme and links to the charitablegiving.co.uk website are signposted from within the People Services area of the Defence Intranet. In addition, the services explain the benefits of charitable payroll giving to new recruits during basic training and through various internal communications.

Recruitment

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of staff recruited to his Department since 5 May 2010 were (a) men and (b) women.

Anna Soubry: The proportion of female/male civilian personnel recruited during the period, 1 April 2010 to 31 October 2013 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Total Percentage 
			 Total Intake Female 3,120 41.2 
			  Male 4,460 58.8 
			     
			 Total MOD Intake — 7,580 — 
		
	
	Total intake includes all permanent, casual and Trading Funds civilian personnel but excludes Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Locally engaged civilians. Numbers have been rounded.

Reserve Forces: Recruitment

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the National Statistician's advice regarding the decision not to publish the reserves recruitment statistics, originally due to be published on 14 November 2013.

Philip Hammond: On 14 November 2013, Defence Statistics published provisional recruitment statistics on the number of personnel moving into the Future Reserves 2020 Volunteer Reserve populations.
	Defence Statistics had planned to publish the “moving into” statistics, along with additional information on the numbers of applications, in a new reserves recruitment statistics bulletin. However, oral advice from the National Statistician, who is independent of Government, was that Defence Statistics should not release the application statistics at that time, as more work was required to validate them. As a result, the publication of the application statistics was delayed. This decision was made independently by the statistician. The “moving into” statistics were published in the Quarterly Personnel Report. Defence Statistics published their decision at:
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/publications/personnel/military/reserves-recruitment-experimental-statistics/edition-1/notice-reserves-recruitment-experimental-statistics.pdf
	Future release dates for statistics on reserves, including applications, will be pre-announced on the Defence Statistics website:
	www.dasa.mod.uk

Sovereignty: Scotland

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in his Department have had with representatives of the Scottish Government regarding the division of Ministry of Defence assets in the event of Scottish independence;
	(2)  with reference to the Scottish Government's White Paper entitled Scotland's Future, page 238, what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in his Department have had with representatives of the Scottish Government regarding the establishment of integrated services in the event of Scottish independence.

Andrew Murrison: None. Engagement with Scottish Government officials on issues where the reserved matter of defence touches devolved matters continue as normal and is not affected by the forthcoming independence referendum or the debate around it.

Travel

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what occasions and for what reasons Ministers in his Department have used military transport for domestic travel since taking office.

Anna Soubry: holding answer 31 October 2013
	The following table shows the occasions when Ministers in the Ministry of Defence have used military transport for domestic travel since taking office. Military transport, in particular helicopters, are only used when there are time constraints on the Ministers' time; when the location to which they are travelling is difficult to get to or in a remote location; or when they are undertaking a number of visits to different locations in one day.
	
		
			  Destination 
			 Secretary of State for Defence (Rt Hon. Liam Fox)  
			 26 June 2010 Cardiff to Nailsea (Armed Forces Day) 
			 2 August 2010 London to Navy HQ, Portsmouth, to London 
			 17 November 2010 London to Taunton (40 Cmdo Homecoming and Medals Parade) to London 
			 8 December 2010 London to Birmingham (QE Hospital to visit wounded troops) to London 
			 15 March 2011 London to Shrivenham (to speak to UK Defence Academy's Higher Command Staff Course) to London 
			 7 April 2011 London to Corsham (Global Operations Security Control Centre) 
			 12 July 2011 Cardiff to Shrivenham (to speak to UK Defence Academy's Advanced Command Staff Course) 
			 20 July 2011 London to Stafford (National Memorial Arboretum) to London 
			 24 August 2011 London to Salisbury Plain (Pre-deployment training exercise) to Birmingham (QE Hospital to visit wounded troops) to London 
			   
			 Secretary of State for Defence (Rt Hon. Philip Hammond)  
			 25 October 2011 London to Bedfordshire Warrior Media Event 
			 9 January 2012 Isle of Dogs to Weymouth Bay (Olympic Security Training Exercise) 
			 24 January 2012 London to Fareham (DSTL) and Portsmouth (Navy HQ) to London (AUKMIN Summit with Australian Defence Minister) 
			 29 February 2012 London to RAF Waddington (Olympic Security Training Exercise inc Olympic Air Defence Sites in London) 
			 26 March 2012 London to HMNB Devonport (HMS Vengeance visit) to London 
			 3 April 2012 Shrivenham (to speak to UK Defence Academy's Higher Command Staff Course) to London (to return in time for a COBR) 
			 9 April 2012 Surrey to Grantham to Surrey (Visit to troops training for fuel tanker strike) 
			 4 May 2012 HMS Ocean (Olympic Security Training Exercise) to London 
			 24 May 2012 RAF Odiham (Chinook fleet visit) to RAF Brize Norton (C17 fleet visit) to RAF High Wycombe (Meetings with CAS) 
			 16 July 2012 Birmingham to London (to return from Regional Cabinet in time for HoC Oral Questions) 
			 1 August 2012 Surrey to Weymouth Bay (Olympic Security Training Exercise) to Surrey 
			 29 October 2012 Visit to Her Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde, Scotland 
			 28 February 2013 Visit to Shorncliffe, Kent 
			 14 March 2013 Speech and visit to Edinburgh, Rosyth, RAF Leuchars, RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland 
			 25 March 2013 London to RAF Marham (Visit to Tornado Fleet) 
			 28 August 2013 London to Lodge Hill, Chattenden, Shorncliffe, to London (Defence Estates and Accommodation visits) 
		
	
	
		
			 30 August 2013 London to Bicester, Bordon and Waterbeach to London (Defence Estates and Accommodation visits) 
			 14 October 2013 London to RAF Wyton (Joint Cyber Reserves Unit) to London 
			 30 October 2013 (Accompanied by Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, Anna Soubry MP) London to Upavon (Visit to Army Recruiting Centre) to London 
			 14 November 2013 London to St. Athan (MoD St. Athan to visit troops and visit Red Dragon Hangar) to Bristol (to visit DEandS) 
			   
			 Minister International Security Strategy (Sir Gerald Howarth)  
			 6 July 2011 London to Portsmouth to London to host a visit for the Defence Minister of Brazil 
			 22 July 2010 London to Plymouth to London to visit Devonport and Plymouth Naval Bases 
			   
			 Minister Defence Equipment Support and Technology (Peter Luff)  
			 16 January 2012 London to Pickering Showground (RAF Fylingdales) to visit with right hon. David Willetts MP to the Space Co-ordination Operations Centre to London 
			   
			 Minister for Defence Equipment Support and Technology (Philip Dunne MP)  
			 17 September 2013 RAF Fylingdales 50th Anniversary, North Yorkshire 
			   
			 Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Sir Nick Harvey)  
			 27 July 2010 London to RAF Waddington (to visit RAF Waddington) to London 
			   
			 Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Rt Hon. Andrew Robathan)  
			 13 May 2011 London to Dartmoor to visit Ten Tors 
			 2 May 2013 York to Wales to visit Cawdor Barracks and Castle Martin ranges 
			 29 August 2013 Leicestershire to Salisbury Plain; Salisbury Plain to London (Recall of Parliament) 
			   
			 Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Rt Hon. Mark Francois)  
			 5 November 2013 Poole to London to visit Royal Marines 
			 5 February 2013 Army Basing Announcement Edinburgh, Scotland 
			 7 February 2013 HMS Raleigh to HMS Lancaster to visit ship training at sea 
			 20-22 March 2013 Northern Ireland Welfare Visit 
			 9 May 2013 Inverness to Loch Ewe to attend memorial service and Arctic Star Medals presentation 
			 16 May 2013 Staverton to RAF Scampton to attend ceremony for the 70th Anniversary of the Dambusters 
			 11-12 June 2013 HMNB Clyde Visit, Scotland 
		
	
	
		
			   
			 Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Lord Astor of Hever DL)  
			 5 July 2013 Annual naming ceremony National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas, Staffordshire

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2013, Official Report, column 269W, on unmanned aerial vehicles, which military remotely piloted aircraft systems not in service have been operated in national airspace outside Military Aviation Authority-approved danger areas or segregated airspace; and what the purpose of each such operation overseen by the Minister for the Armed Forces was. [R]

Mark Francois: No Ministry of Defence remotely piloted aircraft system, not presently in service, is known to have flown in the UK outside danger areas or segregated airspace.
	The Civil Aviation Authority is responsible for approving danger areas or segregated airspace.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2013, Official Report, column 551W, on unmanned aerial vehicle, what the (a) unit, (b) service and (c) rank was of each of the US personnel based at the (i) Air Warfare Centre, (ii) Air Battlespace Training Centre or (iii) elsewhere at RAF Waddington. [R]

Mark Francois: The information requested as at 2 December 2013 is as follows:
	
		
			 Air Warfare Centre 
			 Unit Service/Rank Number 
			 Air Warfare Group USAF Lt Col 1 
			 56(R) Squadron USAF Captain 1 
		
	
	
		
			 RAF Waddington (Other) 
			 Unit Service/Rank Number 
			 8 Squadron USAF Major 1 
			 51 Squadron USAF Major 1 
			 8 Squadron USAF Captain 1 
			 8 Squadron USAF Lt 1 
		
	
	There are currently no US personnel based at the Air Battlespace Training Centre.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2013, Official Report, column 541W, on police: unmanned air vehicles, what information his Department collates on the trialling or other use of unmanned aerial vehicles by state bodies in UK airspace. [R]

Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not centrally record or collate the trialling or other use of unmanned aerial systems by non-MOD state bodies in UK airspace.

Veterans: Employment

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of personnel leaving the Army in each of the last five years have qualified for the full Carer Transition partnership resettlement package.

Anna Soubry: Personnel are eligible for the Career Transition Partnership if they have had at least four years service, or were medically discharged, or left the armed forces due to redundancy.
	Support on leaving the Army is graduated depending on length of service. Personnel with less than four years service, as part of a new initiative, now have access to transition support by being offered a more 'needs-based' level of service providing them with financial, housing and employment support, including linking them to a Job Centre Plus. Personnel with four or five years service qualify for the Employment Support Programme which provides advice and briefings. Those with at least six years service are eligible for the Full Resettlement Programme, which provides additional briefings, funding and vocational training. Personnel who are medically discharged or made redundant before this point are eligible for the Full Resettlement Programme.
	Not all service personnel who qualify use the Career Transition Partnership services.
	The proportion of personnel leaving the Army who were eligible for the Full Resettlement Programme provided by Career Transition Partnership services for the last three years that figures are available are as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Proportion of eligible Army personnel (percentage) 
			 2009-10 45 
			 2010-11 50 
			 2011-12 58 
		
	
	Figures for earlier years are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Veterans: Employment

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of Army service leaders who enlisted under the age of 18 have found stable employment within (a) one month, (b) six months and (c) one year of leaving the armed forces in the last five years for which figures are available.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence does not hold all the data required to answer the question fully, and some elements could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, those Army service leavers who are eligible for the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) scheme have their employment after discharge tracked.
	Information on eligible personnel who chose to use the CTP scheme and who found stable employment after six months is held for the last three years and is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Under 18 on enlistment Eligible for CTP Chose to use CTP Employed after six months (percentage) 
			 2009-10 4,510 2,650 1,900 87 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 4,350 2,820 1,970 90 
			 2011-12 4,840 3,600 2,420 91 
		
	
	Information prior to this is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Warships

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  on how many occasions Ministers in his Department have been informed that the Fleet Ready Escort has been gapped in each of the last five years; and how long each gap was;
	(2)  what ships have been assigned to Fleet Ready Escort tasking in the last five years; and for how long each such ship was assigned;
	(3)  on how many occasions an offshore patrol vessel and a mine countermeasure vessel have been assigned Fleet Ready Escort tasking;
	(4)  whether Ministers in his Department must be informed of any gap in tasking for the Fleet Ready Escort.

Mark Francois: I will write to the hon. Member once the information has been collated.

Warships: Decommissioning

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to ensure that the decommissioning of Navy ships takes place in the UK.

Philip Dunne: All Royal Navy ships are decommissioned in the UK and there are no plans for this to change.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Politics and Government

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what steps the Electoral Commission takes to promote British democracy overseas.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it runs public awareness campaigns and works with partners, including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to promote voter registration among British expatriate communities. Ahead of the European Parliamentary elections in 2014, the commission will run an online registration campaign focussing on countries with the highest numbers of British expatriates.
	This will include advertising that is triggered in response to people using Google search terms that indicate an interest in UK elections, and advertising aimed at people who originally set up email accounts in the UK but are now accessing them overseas. Advertising will also be carried on specific websites that are commonly used by British citizens overseas, as well as expatriate radio stations.
	In addition to its public awareness campaigns aimed at potential overseas electors for UK elections, the commission regularly hosts visiting overseas delegations and attends the European conference of Electoral Management Bodies in order to share best practice.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Charitable Donations

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to encourage employees to make tax-free donations direct from their salaries.

Justine Greening: DFID has a mechanism to donate via payroll giving (Give as You Earn) and this arrangement is published to all staff via the internal staff intranet.

Developing Countries: Neonatal Mortality

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of newborns dying in their first 28 days of life; and what specific projects her Department is funding with this aim.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK Government has committed to save the lives of at least 50,000 women during pregnancy and childbirth and 250,000 newborn babies by 2015. DFID is meeting this commitment through its investments in 27 countries to strengthen health systems, and the supply of appropriate drugs to treat newborn complications. Specific investments include the Making it Happen Programme and the Health Partnership Scheme, which train and mentor doctors, nurses, midwives and other clinicians in emergency obstetric care. Another example is the Evidence for Action Programme which helps policy makers, health planners, clinicians and communities use available evidence to improve the supply of and demand for quality newborn health services. We also support other partners to improve Newborn care, for example through investing in the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.

Developing Countries: Sanitation

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what preparations her Department has made in advance of the Sanitation and Water for All High Level Meeting in April 2014; whether her Department will use this meeting to take steps to extend the UK's commitments to bring water and sanitation to 60 million people by 2015; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK will be represented at the 2014 Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) high level meeting. This meeting will focus on accountability and the progress countries, including the UK, have made in meeting the commitments we made at the 2012 high level meeting. We expect other countries to likewise demonstrate the progress they are making to meet their commitments. DFID officials are working with the SWA Secretariat on the agenda for the high level meeting.

Kenya

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to reduce preventable newborn mortality in Kenya.

Lynne Featherstone: DFID is supporting health programmes that focus on maternal health in Kenya. These programmes deliver a range of health interventions from pre-pregnancy to early childhood, for example increasing access to modern family planning methods, improving coverage and quality of skilled delivery care at birth, and working with communities to increase demand for and use of quality health services. DFID's support in Kenya is expected to save the lives of over 1,000 mothers and 3,800 babies between 2013 and 2018. These programmes are contributing towards the UK Government's overall commitment to save the lives of at least 50,000 women during pregnancy and childbirth and 250,000 newborn babies by 2015.

Nigeria

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to reduce preventable newborn mortality in Nigeria.

Lynne Featherstone: DFID support to maternal, newborn and child health programmes in Nigeria includes programmes to improve the skills and capacity of health workers for newborn care, and to ensure the provision of essential supplies and commodities for newborns. As a result of DFID support, over 1.5 million women will have delivered with the assistance of a skilled health worker by 2019, and DFID will have contributed to saving the lives of over 55,000 newborns and 24,000 women during pregnancy and childbirth.

Pakistan

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the extent of post-traumatic stress disorder amongst children in Pakistan who have been exposed to terrorist attacks.

Justine Greening: We are deeply concerned by the effects of terrorist attacks on children's well-being in Pakistan. We regularly assess the impact of conflict on people in Pakistan. This information is not disaggregated by specific cause but provides sufficient information to assess and respond to the needs of the most vulnerable.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the programmes of the International Fund for Agricultural Development in sub-Saharan Africa.

Lynne Featherstone: DFID's Multilateral Aid Review (MAR) makes a systematic assessment of the performance of multilateral organisations including the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The latest update will be published shortly. The 2011 MAR notes that IFAD is committed to reform and improving its effectiveness, including through better project management, but needs to make progress in improving efficiency in all areas.

Syria

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) men, (b) women and (c) children have been (i) killed, (ii) wounded and (iii) made refugees in the Syrian conflict (A) to date and (B) since 29 August 2013.

Lynne Featherstone: The UN estimated in July that, since the conflict began in March 2011, more than 100,000 people have been killed and 575,000 injured. The UN has not released updated figures of numbers killed or injured since July, but estimates that approximately 5,000 are killed each month. These figures are not broken down by age or gender. Almost 2.3 million people have been made refugees since the conflict began, 400,000 of those since 29 August 2013. An estimated 75% of these refugees are women and children.

EDUCATION

Children: Cancer

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions his Department has had with other departments regarding educational support for children returning to school after lengthy absences for cancer treatment.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has worked with the Department of Health in developing revised statutory guidance to local authorities on educating children with health needs, issued in January 2013. The guidance sets out that, when a child with health needs is due to return to school, local authorities should work with the school and the current education provider to support reintegration.
	We have also introduced an amendment to the Children and Families Bill that will place a requirement on schools to make arrangements for supporting pupils who have medical conditions and have regard to statutory guidance. This guidance will advise schools to consider what educational support should be in place for these pupils, including those returning to school after lengthy absences for long-term or complex medical conditions. We are working closely with the Department of Health, health organisations and charities and with parents and children on the development of the guidance, which will be subject to consultation.

Children: Day Care

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of primary schools offered wrap-around childcare services in (a) May 2010 and (b) the latest date for which figures are available.

Elizabeth Truss: This information is not held in the format requested.
	The Department for Education's Childcare and Early Years Provider Survey collects information on the number of child care providers in England, including after school clubs. In 2011 there were 10,000 after school clubs, of which 71% were offering before school activities or child care for school aged children in term time. This compares to 9,500 after school clubs in 2010, of which 67% were offering before school activities or child care for school aged children in term time. The survey cannot identify the proportion of primary schools that offer both before school and after school care.

Free Schools

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 22 October 2013, Official Report, column 114W, on free schools, how much over and above the proportion required to meet recruitment for the current academic year has remained with free schools.

Edward Timpson: Where an academy has been funded in the current academic year on the basis of its estimated pupil numbers, the Department for Education will make an adjustment in line with its funding agreement in the following year. This applies equally to free schools. As this process runs at one year's remove, we do not yet have this information for academies that were funded on the basis of their estimates in 2013/14. The figures for the current academic year will be calculated in 2014/15.

Integrated Chronology Tool

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all local authorities make use of the integrated chronology tool.

Edward Timpson: Our statutory safeguarding guidance "Working Together to Safeguard Children 2013" states that every assessment of a child who has been referred to children's social care should draw together information gathered from the child and their family and from relevant professionals including teachers, early years workers, health professionals, the police and adult social care. Where a child and family does not need support from children's social care, but would benefit from co-ordinated early help from more than one agency, the guidance states that there should be an inter-agency assessment. However, we believe decisions about which tools are used to support those assessments are best taken locally and we do not therefore prescribe the use of any particular model.

Pay

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the median gross pay is of staff in his Department and its executive agencies in each pay band who are identified as (a) white British and (b) of black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups.

Elizabeth Truss: The median gross pay of employees in the Department, split by ethnicity, is listed in Table 1 as follows. This includes information from the Department's three Executive agencies. Not all employees choose to declare their ethnicity and the information has been calculated from the payroll records of staff who have provided this information.
	
		
			 Table 1: Median salaries for staff as at 31 October 2013 
			 £ 
			  White Black or minority ethnic staff 
			 EA AA 18,104 21,550 
			 EA AO 18,104 18,629 
			 EO 22,557 25,587 
			 HEO 29,093 31,178 
			 SEO 36,164 37,520 
			 Grade 7 49,247 49,247 
			 Grade 6 61,549 63,022 
			 SCS 75,012 79,855

Pay

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the median gross pay of (a) men and (b) women is in each pay band in his Department.

Elizabeth Truss: The median gross pay of men and women in the Department, where this is declared, is listed in Table 1. This includes information from the Department's three Executive agencies. Not all employees choose to provide their diversity information and the information has been calculated from the payroll records of staff who have provided this information.
	
		
			 Table 1: Median salary as at 31 October 2013 based on full-time equivalent salaries 
			 £ 
			  Male Female 
			 EA AA 18,104 18,104 
			 EA AO 18,629 18,629 
			 EO 24,002 24,002 
			 HEO 30,434 29,950 
			 SEO 37,210 37,231 
			 Grade 7 50,000 49,247 
			 Grade 6 63,248 62,602 
			 SCS 80,746 74,561

Pupils: Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2013, Official Report, column 765W, on pupils: health, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the reduction in references to children's well-being in Ofsted inspectors' guildlines in 2011 and 2012.

David Laws: The Ofsted inspection framework from January 2012 focussed on four key areas, reflecting the Government's policy as set out in Section 41 of the Education Act 2011.
	Although the term “well-being” is not specified in the required reporting areas, it continues to be an integral part of inspections with aspects of pupil well-being being considered within the judgments on behaviour and safety, leadership and management and the overall effectiveness of the school.

Recruitment

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of staff recruited to his Department since 5 May 2010 were (a) men and (b) women.

Elizabeth Truss: The following table provides a breakdown by gender of staff recruited to the Department for Education from 1 May 2010 up to 31 October 2013.
	
		
			  Female Male Grand total 
			 2010-11 139 117 256 
			 2011-12 317 193 510 
			 2012-13 855 636 1,491 
			 2013-14 124 103 227 
			 Total 1,435 1,049 2,484 
			     
			 Percentage 57.8 42.2  
		
	
	The figure for 2012-13 is proportionately higher due to the transfer of staff from the Department's ALBs following the creation of the new Executive agencies.

Schools: Boxing

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information his Department holds on how many schools offer boxing, and on how many children take part in boxing at school.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education does not collect information on how many schools offer boxing, or on how many pupils take part in any lessons offered. It is a matter for schools to decide what sports and activities they offer and how best to deliver them to pupils.

Schools: Sports

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding his Department plans to allocate for school sports to (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Barking and Dagenham local authority area in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15.

Edward Timpson: Funding for the provision of physical education (PE) and school sport at both primary and secondary level forms part of the overall Dedicated Schools Grant, which is not broken down by subject or curriculum area.
	However, in recognition of the importance of PE and school sport, the Government is providing over £150 million additional funding per year for 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16 which is ring-fenced solely for the improvement of PE and sport in primary schools.
	Eligible schools located in Barking and Dagenham local authority area will receive a total of £450,600 in additional funding for PE and sport for the academic year 2013/14. Allocations for future funding in each local authority area are yet to be calculated.

Schools: Vocational Guidance

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent steps he has taken to ensure that careers services in schools increases awareness of vocational and technical education.

Matthew Hancock: Schools are legally required to secure independent careers guidance for pupils in years 8-13. Guidance secured under the duty must include information on the full range of education and training options, including apprenticeships.
	We commissioned Ofsted to conduct a thematic review to assess progress on implementation of the duty. This reported on 10 September. Ofsted found that, while some schools have responded well to the new duty, the extent to which schools promoted opportunities available at other providers, including vocational training and apprenticeships, varied considerably.
	The Government has responded to Ofsted's report, publishing a vision statement for careers inspiration and an action plan outlining how we intend to take forward Ofsted's recommendations. Both documents are available in the House Library.
	In addition, the Government has developed and publishes Destination Measures showing the percentage of students progressing from school or college to sustained participation in further or higher education, employment or training. This enables schools and colleges to be held to account for how effectively they have supported their students to move successfully into a suitable destination.

TRANSPORT

A14

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the A14 bypass; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Goodwill: The decision not to toll the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme was announced by the Government in the New National Infrastructure Plan 2013 and the Autumn Statement.
	The Highways Agency is progressing delivery of the project, and subject to statutory processes, expect the improvement works to start in 2016.

Aviation

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 11 November 2013, Official Report, column 452W, on aviation, if he will make it his policy to collect such information.

Robert Goodwill: Operational data on aviation is collected by the Civil Aviation Authority and data on the number of private flights undertaken each year is not collected. I do not consider there is sufficient justification to change this approach. Doing so would impose unnecessary and additional administrative and financial burdens on both the CAA to collect this information, and on private pilots to provide associated data to the CAA.

Birmingham Airport

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will commission research into the potential benefits of expanding Birmingham airport to be a hub airport.

Robert Goodwill: The Government has established the independent Airports Commission, chaired by Sir Howard Davies, which is examining the scale and timing of any requirements for additional capacity to maintain the UK's position as Europe's most important aviation hub.

Channel Tunnel Railway Line

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost of construction was of the High Speed 1 Thames crossing rail tunnel.

Stephen Hammond: The information requested is not held by the Department but can be obtained from London and Continental Railways Ltd at:
	London and Continental Railways Ltd
	4th Floor
	One Kemble Street
	London
	WC2B 4AN.

Channel Tunnel Railway Line

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost per kilometre was of the construction of the High Speed 1 rail line.

Stephen Hammond: The High Speed 1 line is 108 km (67 miles) in length and runs from central London to the Eurotunnel boundary. The total construction cost of HS1, including infrastructure such as stations, sidings and depots, was £6 billion.

Charitable Donations

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to encourage its employees to make tax-free donations direct from their salaries.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport (Central) and its Executive agencies encourage employees to make regular tax-free donations to charity from their salaries by operating a workplace payroll giving scheme.
	The scheme is promoted through internal communications and by occasional visits by charities to the workplace.
	The central Department was awarded a Gold Payroll Giving Quality Mark Award for 2012 by the Payroll Giving Centre. The Gold Award is given to employers that have succeeded in generating sustainable income sources for UK charities through payroll giving and have at least 10% of staff signed up.

Delivery Services

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the guidance his Department gives to local authorities on night time deliveries.

Robert Goodwill: We already publish guidance on our website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/quiet-deliveries-demonstration-scheme
	We are currently producing revised guidance and this will also be published on our website in the near future.

Driving Tests

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 26 November 2013, Official Report, column 190W, on driving tests, what losses were incurred to his Department during the procurement process; for what reason an investigation into the conduct of officials engaged in the procurement process was required; and if he will publish the results of that investigation.

Robert Goodwill: The decision to award a framework agreement for the supply of computer based testing for government was subject to a formal challenge. As a consequence, and as a matter of good practice, the Department for Transport has commissioned an investigation into the conduct of officials. The investigation is an internal management matter. To ensure continued supply of the driving theory test and a reduction in test fees, the Driving Standards Agency entered into the commercial arrangements set out in my answer of 26 November 2013, Official Report, column 190W. The costs of running the procurement process were set out in the same answer.

Exhaust Emissions: Motor Vehicles

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has plans to support low carbon hydrogen for electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport (DFT), together with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), is an active participant in the joint industry-Government UKH2Mobility project, which was launched in January 2012. Following the completion of the evaluation phase and publication of a report in April 2013, the UKH2Mobility project has been working to develop a potential business plan for the roll-out of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and the associated refuelling infrastructure in the UK from 2015. A key area of work being undertaken in the UKH2Mobility project is looking at the means to ensure a pathway to a low carbon or green production of hydrogen. This work is ongoing.
	The Technology Strategy Board (TSB) working with the Office for Low Emissions Vehicles (OLEV), BIS and DECC has invested in excess of £41 million into fuel cell and hydrogen technologies since 2009. In this financial year 2013-14, the TSB has plans to invest a further £4.5 million into ongoing activity supporting fuel cell manufacturing and the supply chain and £5 million into technologies specifically enabling the market for hydrogen. Fuel cells and hydrogen technologies are a part of the TSB’s Energy strategy and further investments into this area are anticipated during the current spending review period to continue to support UK companies developing products for this growing global market. In addition, hydrogen fuel cell electric cars are eligible under the existing plug-in car grant scheme, administered by OLEV, which offers motorists a grant of 25% towards the cost of the vehicle, up to a maximum of £5,000.
	Further to the announcement that the Government has committed an additional £500 million to support the uptake of ultra low emission vehicles out to 2020, a call for evidence was launched in November to inform the development of the 2015-20 package of support for ULEVs. This is expected to include measures to support the roll-out of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure from 2015.

Gatwick Express Railway Line

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to raise public awareness of the planned disruption to Gatwick Express rail services over the Christmas period.

Stephen Hammond: Network Rail and train operating companies lead on communication with passengers over planned and unplanned disruption to services and this is underpinned by obligations in franchise agreements and operating licences. I am aware from officials that the industry is taking a number of steps to ensure the works are publicised extensively, including national and local media and through the industry National Rail enquiries website.
	Measures taken by various parties to ensure users of the airport are aware of the disruption include:
	posters displayed at stations from September providing advance notice to passengers;
	several stakeholder briefings;
	over 100,000 booklets being handed out by Southern—operator of the largest number of train services to Gatwick airport—to passengers at various key locations;
	emails to passengers on Southern's and Gatwick Express's databases;
	detailed information on Southern's website and a link to this information on the Gatwick Express website;
	the National Rail enquiries website also containing this information and links to Southern's website;
	flyers at stations, and proactively handed out at key locations, directing people to the websites;
	information on customer information screens at stations;
	a social media campaign in use by Network Rail, Gatwick airport and the train operators serving Gatwick;
	announcements at stations and by conductors on trains in the run-up to the period of disruption;
	a communication plan by Gatwick airport to communicate to its passengers via its website, social media, posters throughout the airport and via the airlines.
	During the period of disruption, extra staff being recruited by Southern will assist passengers with information and with luggage at main interchange points.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passenger journeys are expected to be made on High Speed 2 on average each day once the line is complete; and what the capacity of the line will be in terms of numbers of passenger journeys per day.

Robert Goodwill: The daily number of passengers on High Speed 2 in 2036 is forecast to be around 300,000 and the number of seats provided per day is expected to be around 500,000.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of passengers travelling on High Speed 2 are expected to be (a) business and (b) leisure travellers.

Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport does not hold the information in the form requested.

Large Goods Vehicles

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2013, Official Report, column 1051W, on large goods vehicles, for what reason his assessment that longer semi-trailers are able to match the performance of existing semi-trailers differs from the assessments in paragraphs 23 and 24 of his Department's consultation on the possibility of allowing an increase in the length of articulated lorries and in paragraph 3.2.6 of his Department's publication, Longer Semi-trailers feasibility study and impact assessment, published in March 2011.

Robert Goodwill: The Feasibility Study and consultation documents both stated that if longer semi-trailers used existing steering technology then they would comply with existing regulations, albeit with a slightly increased tail swing. The degree of tail swing depends on the axle configuration.
	All longer semi-trailers in the trial use rear axle steering technology and so fully comply with manoeuvrability requirements as set out in national “construction and use” legislation.

M20

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many commercial vehicles have used the M20 in each year since 2000.

Robert Goodwill: A table showing how many commercial vehicles have used the M20 in each year since 2000 has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	The categories of commercial vehicles provided in the table only include LGVs, HGVs, buses and coaches. Our data does not allow us to identify all commercial vehicles but only allows us to differentiate between the specified categories above.

Merchant Shipping (Hours of Work) Regulations 2002

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his Department last reviewed the operation of the Merchant Shipping (Hours of Work) Regulations 2002.

Stephen Hammond: The provisions of the Merchant Shipping (Hours of Work) Regulations 2002 are currently being reviewed with a view to amending them as part of a package of measures to implement the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, which sets common global standards to ensure a level playing field.
	The proposed changes will:
	increase statutory paid leave entitlement of employed seafarers to 2.5 days of leave per month of employment and eight additional days paid leave per year in respect of public holidays;
	give seafarers an entitlement to shore leave;
	give the right for seafarers to enforce their statutory paid leave entitlement by presenting a claim to an employment tribunal (in Northern Ireland, an industrial tribunal).
	Regulations amending the 2002 regulations are expected to be made early in 2014.

Railways: Freight

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many rail freight sites Network Rail has acquired from the private sector since 2000-01; and what the cost was in each instance.

Stephen Hammond: This is a commercial matter for Network Rail as the owner and operator of the national network. The hon. Member should contact Network rail’s chief executive at the following address for a response to his question:
	David Higgins
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	Kings Place
	90 York Way
	London
	N1 9AG.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the road maintenance budget was in (a) total and (b) each region in each year since 2005.

Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport provides funding to local authorities in England (outside London) for road maintenance through the highways maintenance capital block grant. This funding is not ring-fenced and allows authorities who are responsible for the local road network, the freedom to develop and implement solutions which best suit their priorities.
	The following table highlights the road maintenance budget allocated to local highways authorities in each year since 2005:
	
		
			 Local highways maintenance 
			  England3 East EM NE NW SE SW WM Y&H 
			 2005-062 705 94.7 77.3 45.4 98.2 109.6 114.7 85.2 78.7 
			 2006-072 717 99.8 78 45.8 89.9 105.7 117.1 93.6 87.6 
			 2007-082 732 106.3 77.1 49 106.7 112.6 112 80.4 86 
			 2008-092 767 99.4 73 124 105 116.9 112.1 87.8 91.2 
			 2009-102 801 107.8 79.8 44.3 112.3 124.1 117.8 89.4 92.3 
			 2010-111,2 920 121.8 93.3 51.1 146.5 147.9 143 109.5 103.9 
			 2011-121 1,006 132.7 104.8 52.9 132.6 173.6 176.7 105.8 108.5 
			 2012-13 779 102.9 82.9 43.5 104.9 133.6 137.6 81.6 84.4 
		
	
	
		
			 2013-141 890 117 96.1 49.9 120.5 148.8 155.5 94.9 93.7 
			 1 This includes additional funding agreed within the financial year. For 2010-11 this includes £84 million announced in the March 2010 Budget and allocated to English local highway authorise (including London). For 2011-12 this includes £200 million allocated in the March 2011 Budget and allocated to English local highway authorise (including London). For 2013-14 this includes additional funding announced in the 2012 autumn statement and allocated to English local highway authorities (including London). 2 These were indicative funding allocations as authorities were allowed to borrow against the funding allocation they received through supported borrowing arrangements that were in place at the time. 3 The figures provided for England as a whole do not equal the sum of those for the regions. This is because a proportion of total funding has been held back for contingency purposes. In addition, the additional funding allocated in the 2010 and 2011 Budgets and the 2012 autumn statement was also allocated to London local authorities, which are not featured in this table due to their unique funding arrangements. 
		
	
	In addition, local authorities are also able to use revenue funding, allocated by the Department for Communities and Local Government through the Revenue Support Grant, for maintaining their local highways.
	For the strategic road network, the Highways Agency operates and maintains its asset on a national basis, therefore regional budgets (b) are not readily available.
	
		
			 Highways Agency maintenance 
			 Financial year £ million 
			 2005-06 865 
			 2006-07 862 
			 2007-08 839 
			 2008-09 896 
			 2009-10 913 
			 2010-11 748 
			 2011-12 833 
			 2012-13 755 
			 2013-14 754 
		
	
	This Government also recognises the need for improved highways maintenance over the longer term and has taken action. In April 2011, Ministers announced that we are sponsoring the Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme (HMEP) to look at longer term maintenance strategies. This programme is providing practical and adaptable efficiency solutions, so authorities can make more informed local investment decisions to support their local community and economy.

Transport

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many authorised testing facilities his Department plans to open in the next five years.

Robert Goodwill: The number of authorised testing facilities (ATFs) that open is driven by the demand from the market. VOSA authorises those ATFs that wish to open, but has not made any long-term predictions about how many ATFs there will be in the next five years.
	The 400th ATF is due to open shortly and we predict that there will be 445 ATFs by the end of March 2013.

West Coast Railway Line

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of passengers travelling on the West Coast Main Line were (a) business and (b) leisure travellers in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not have the information as requested. 10 different passenger rail companies provide services on the West Coast mainline, and they are not required by the Department to provide such information.

West Coast Railway Line

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passenger journeys were made on the West Coast Main Line on average each day in the most recent period for which figures are available; and what the maximum capacity of the line is in terms of daily passenger journeys.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport does not hold this information. 10 different operators provide passenger services on the West Coast Mainline. The Office of Rail Regulation publishes statistics showing the number of journeys made with each train operator each year, but for all of these 10 operators, journeys on their services are made on both the West Coast Mainline and on other lines.
	The Department holds some information about train operators' planned capacity provision, but as a seat can be used by multiple occupants along a service's route this does not show the maximum number of journeys that can be accommodated.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Telephone Services

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0845, (b) 0844 and (c) 0843 his Office (i) operates and (ii) sponsors; how many calls each number has received in the last 12 months; and whether alternative numbers charged at the BT local rate are available in each case.

Nick Hurd: holding answer 18 November 2013
	The Deputy Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
	The Cabinet Office has identified no telephone lines with the prefix 0844 or 0843, and two with the prefix 0845. One of these was inherited from the previous Government.
	Neither line is targeted at users of public services and one of them has an alternative local landline number and call-back service.
	One of the 0845 numbers will be replaced in the new year with a web portal and call-back service. We will also review the use of the other 0845 line in the new year.
	My Department does not hold information on the exact number of calls to these numbers.

HEALTH

Abortion

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what circumstances his Department requires doctors to provide evidence to substantiate their opinion that an abortion is legally justified; and how that evidence is assessed.

Jane Ellison: Except for emergencies, an abortion is only legal if two medical practitioners are of the opinion formed in good faith that there are grounds for an abortion within the Abortion Act 1967 (as amended). The two doctors are each required to certify that they have reached this opinion on Form HSA1, together with the ground for the abortion. Form HSA4 form is completed by the terminating practitioner, and also includes the ground for the abortion, and must be submitted to the chief medical officer (CMO).
	The CMO wrote to all those involved in abortion provision on 22 November 2013. This letter highlighted that there is an expectation that both doctors will have taken positive steps to obtain information specific to the woman seeking a termination as part of reaching their decision and to have turned their mind to the particular facts of that case when forming their opinion. Doctors should be able to evidence how this decision was reached if asked to justify it subsequently. The Department is now developing more detailed guidance for practitioners involved in abortion.

Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people under (a) 13 and (b) 18 were admitted to hospital for an (i) alcohol-related condition and (ii) alcohol-specific condition in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The following table contains the sum of the estimated alcohol-related admissions, using attributable fractions for 0 to 12-year-olds and 0 to 17-year-olds residents in England.
	It should be noted that these figures are not a count of people and represent an estimated number of admissions that were attributable to alcohol.
	Alcohol attributable fractions (AAFs) are based on the proportion of a given diagnosis or injury that is estimated to be attributed to alcohol. Some diagnoses or injuries will, by definition, be wholly attributable to alcohol and have an AAF of one, others will only be partly attributable to alcohol and have an AAF greater than zero, but less than one. Diagnoses or injuries that are not attributable at all to alcohol will have an AAF of zero.
	These figures are derived by summing all AAFs for the relevant admissions and should therefore only be interpreted as an estimate of the number of admissions that can be attributed to alcohol.
	It should also be noted that attributable fractions are not available for children under 16. Therefore figures for this age group relate only to wholly-attributable admissions, where the attributable fraction is one.
	The sum of AAF1 for admission episodes for (a) 0 to 12-year-olds and (b) 0 to 17-year-olds where (i) the AAF for the episode is one (wholly attributable to alcohol) and (ii) the AAF for the episode is less than one (partially attributable to alcohol) for the years 2008-09 to 2012-132.
	
		
			  0 to12 years 0 to 17 years 
			  AAF=1 AAF<1 AAF=1 AAF<1 
			 2008-09 364 0 6,876 5,970 
			 2009-10 346 0 6,781 6,049 
			 2010-11 272 0 6443 6,188 
			 2011-12 243 0 5,230 6,076 
			 2012-13 209 0 4,360 5,713 
			 1 Alcohol-related admissions The number of alcohol-related admissions is based on the methodology developed by the North West Public Health Observatory, which uses 48 indicators for alcohol-related illnesses, determining the proportion of a wide range of diseases and injuries that can be partly attributed to alcohol as well as those that are, by definition, wholly attributable to alcohol. Further information on these proportions can be found at http://www.nph.net/nwpho/publications/AlcoholAttributableFractions.pdf 2 Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Note: Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Alzheimer's Disease

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will have discussions with research councils and other appropriate research bodies on providing specific funding for (a) the study of risk factors in Alzheimer's disease and (b) clinical trials to assess the role of managing those risks in preventing that disease;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of increasing expenditure on research into the risk factors associated with dementia and their prevention.

Daniel Poulter: In March 2012, the Prime Minister's challenge on dementia announced that the combined value of the Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the Medical Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council funding for research into dementia will increase from £26.6 million in 2009-10 to an estimated £66.3 million in 2014-15. Combined spend on dementia research by these funders reached £52.2 million in 2012-13.
	In partnership with medical research charities, these funders invest in a wide range of research relating to Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, including research on risk factors, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care. Together with work in the two other key areas of the Prime Minister's challenge, the investment in research will help to both improve quality of life and quality of care, and reduce future pressures on the national health service and social care.
	The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including risk factors for dementia and interventions to mitigate such risk factors. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and the NHS, value for money and scientific quality.

Asthma

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce asthma action plans to improve standards of asthma care and reduce asthma deaths.

Jane Ellison: To improve outcomes for asthma patients, in July 2011 we published, “An outcomes strategy for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma in England”, which set out the ways in which we will meet our aim of delivering healthcare outcomes for people with COPD and asthma as good as anywhere in the world.
	The strategy set out an objective to: ensure all people with asthma are free of symptoms because of prompt and accurate diagnosis; ensure that they are involved in shared decision making regarding treatment; and ensure that they receive ongoing support as they self-manage their own condition and so reduce need for unscheduled health care and risk of death. The strategy can be found at:
	www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/216139/dh_128428.pdf
	In May 2012 we published the NHS Companion Document to the Outcomes Strategy. This uses the framework of the five domains of the NHS Outcomes Framework to describe the actions and interventions that the national health service can take to meet the objectives in the Outcomes Strategy for COPD and Asthma. Under each domain, the evidence for change to make improvements in outcomes is presented and the key actions that the NHS can take are given.
	NHS England has responsibility for determining the overall national approach to improve clinical outcomes from healthcare services for people with asthma.
	In February 2013, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published its asthma quality standard, which covers the diagnosis and treatment of asthma in adults, young people and children aged 12 months and older. The quality standard sets out that people with asthma should receive a written personalised action plan.
	NHS England is statutorily required to have regard to NICE quality standards. It is for NHS England to take forward implementation of the NICE quality standard on asthma.

Babies

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many babies had to be detoxified at birth from the substance upon which their mother was dependent in each of the last 10 years.

Daniel Poulter: It is not possible to identify 'detoxified at birth' using the ICD-10 classification1 Instead we have provided a count of finished admission birth episodes where there was a primary or secondary diagnosis of neonatal withdrawal symptoms from maternal use of drugs of addiction.
	1 ICD-10 code used: P96.1 Neonatal withdrawal symptoms form maternal use of drugs of addiction.
	
		
			  Sum of finished admissions episodes 
			 2012-13 1,129 
			 2011-12 1,097 
			 2010-11 1,017 
			 2009-10 1,132 
			 2008-09 1,056 
			 2007-08 1,094 
			 2006-07 1,065 
			 2005-06 1,045 
			 2004-05 1,021 
			 2003-04 1,028 
			 Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Bacterial Diseases

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the risk of a pandemic if NDM-1 enzyme transferred to a highly contagious bacterium against which modern antibiotics would be ineffective.

Jane Ellison: No formal assessment has been made of the pandemic potential of bacteria producing the NDM-1 enzyme (New-Delhi metallo beta-lactamase) as they are generally a problem in health care settings rather than the community. Control of infections caused by bacteria producing this and similar enzymes that inactivate carbapenem antibiotics has been a focus of activity for our Advisory Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infections (ARHAI) and the Health Protection Agency (now Public Health England) for some time.
	We will be building on previous work to help the NHS to prevent and control spread of these and other resistant bacteria through the implementation of the UK Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy 2013 to 2018 and the publication on 2 December 2013 of Public Health England's toolkit, which enables health care providers to identify and manage carbapenemase-producing enterobacteriaceae, which includes those producing the NDM-1 enzyme.
	A copy of the toolkit has been placed in the Library.

Blood: Donors

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of Justice Treacy's ruling on blood donation from men who have sex with men; and what plans he has to bring blood donation rules in Northern Ireland in line with the rest of the UK.

Jane Ellison: The Department is currently considering the potential implications of this judgment.

Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the costs of adapting his Department's buildings to accommodate the new organisations created by the Health and Social Care Act 2012 are included in his published estimate of costs associated with the reorganisation implemented under the terms of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

Daniel Poulter: On 18 July 2013 the Secretary of State for Health made a written ministerial statement on the costs and benefits of NHS modernisation. I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement given by the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt) on 18 July 2013, Official Report, columns 125-26WS.
	The Secretary of State announced that, up to 31 March 2013, costs of £1,096 million had been incurred across the health and care system on developing and establishing the new arrangements. Within this figure £42 million had been incurred on estates costs of closing bodies and setting up new organisations. This figure included the costs of adapting the Department's buildings to accommodate the new organisations created by the Health and Social Care Act 2012. The above costs should be viewed alongside the savings arising from NHS modernisation, expected to be £5.5 billion during the current Parliament and £1.5 billion per annum thereafter.

Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 25 October 2013, Official Report, column 281W, on buildings, what the cost of the refurbishments at (a) Richmond house and (b) Wellington house was, by category of expenditure.

Daniel Poulter: The Department’s supplier has been able to provide a breakdown of the costs under the headings of electrical works, mechanical works, fabric, fixtures and fittings and management costs.
	Costs on the refurbishment undertaken in 2013 to date for refurbishment in Richmond house and Wellington house by category of expenditure is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			 (a) Richmond house 
			  £ 
			 Electrical works 402,211 
			 Mechanical works 872,783 
			 Fabric, fixtures and fittings 626,193 
			 Management costs 845,296 
		
	
	
		
			 (b) Wellington house 
			  £ 
			 Electrical works 1,360,980 
			 Mechanical works 1,347,291 
			 Fabric, fixtures and fittings 3,149,647 
			 Management costs 433,799

Caffeine

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of high-caffeine energy drinks on the short and long-term health of children.

Jane Ellison: The safety of high caffeine energy drinks was assessed by the European Scientific Committee on Food in 2003. Their opinion was that high caffeine drinks caused increased excitability; irritability, nervousness or anxiety in some people who drank them, particularly if those people were normally low consumers of caffeine. No long-term health effects were noted.
	The Food Standards Agency considers the effects of caffeine are transitory and without permanent health effects and their advice is that children, or other people sensitive to caffeine, should only consume caffeine in moderation.
	The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is in the process of evaluating the safety of caffeine including potential interactions with other ingredients. They are also considering whether it is appropriate to establish recommended intake levels for the general population, or sub groups such as children. EFSA's opinion is expected in the next few months.

Caffeine

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the consumption rate of high-caffeine energy drinks by children.

Jane Ellison: In 2011, the European Food Safety Authority commissioned a study on the consumption of high-caffeine energy drinks in the European Union.
	The results showed that for United Kingdom children (three to 10 year olds) the population mean and high level caffeine consumption from energy drinks alone was 6.2 milligrams per day (mg/day) and 33.8 mg/day respectively. For a typical energy drink, which contains 80 mg of caffeine in a 250 ml can, this equates to 8% and 42% of a can a day. By comparison a mug of instant coffee contains around 80 mg of caffeine.

Caffeine

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had (a) at Responsibility Deal Meetings, (b) with major retailers and (c) with the Food Standards Agency on the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children.

Jane Ellison: The Government has held no discussions specific to the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children at any meetings of the Responsibility Deal or with retailers. Food Standards Agency advice is that, based on the current scientific evidence on their safety, restrictions on the sale of these drinks to children are not necessary. The Government continues to monitor the situation and any new emerging scientific evidence.

Care Homes: CCTV

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department is considering introducing a requirement for care homes to install closed circuit television monitoring for the purposes of patient safety and staff reassurance.

Norman Lamb: The Department is not considering introducing a requirement for care homes to install closed circuit television monitoring.
	However we are strengthening the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) regulatory function and believe that it should look carefully at how to uncover any type of abuse or neglect in care. The use of covert surveillance or video monitoring would require very careful consideration by the CQC, including balancing the need to improve the quality of care and the effectiveness of inspection with protecting and maintaining the privacy and dignity of service users.
	The CQC will have widespread powers to take firm action on poor care and to hold both councils and providers to account for the quality of services.

Care Homes: Fees and Charges

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will update his Department's guidance on the payment of top-ups in residential care in order to ensure that no adult or their family is required to pay top ups in order to meet their eligible need; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: Guidance on the use of third party top up fees for local authority funded social care placements is clearly set out in Local Authority Circular LAC(2004)20. Following the passage of the Care Bill, updated guidance will be issued to local authorities. We anticipate consulting on this in the spring.

Care Homes: General Practitioners

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department collects concerning charging for healthcare services by GPs for residents in care homes; what assessment his Department has made of the scale of that practice; what steps he is taking to ensure consistent access standards for primary care services for residents of care homes; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The Department does not collect this information. Care home residents are entitled to receive the same care from the general practitioner (GP) practice where they are registered as people who live in their own homes. This care would include a home visit if the GP deems it clinically appropriate.
	If a higher level of care—beyond what is normally expected from a practice—is needed, this can be arranged and funded through NHS England as a local enhanced service. For private work however, such as offering staff training or health and safety advice, professional fees may be charged.
	GPs are independent business people who work under contract with NHS England to provide patients with national health service primary medical services. Under the terms of their NHS contract, GPs are prevented from charging registered patients for any treatment except in a few, very limited circumstances. It is the responsibility of NHS England to ensure GPs do not breach the terms of their contract and to take action if a breach occurs.

Care Homes: Managers

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many care homes reported the absence of a registered manager for (a) less than three, (b) three to six, (c) six to nine, (d) nine to 12 and (e) more than 12 months in each of the last five years.

Norman Lamb: We are informed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) that it has not systematically collected the data requested over the past five years and is therefore unable to provide historic information.
	Within the past nine months, the CQC has changed its data collection to identify those locations at which a registered manager may be required but not in post. As a result, the CQC is now able to identify providers in breach of the requirement and calculate how long it has been since the last registered manager was in post.
	The CQC uses the data to challenge providers and to hold them to account when they may be in breach of the conditions of their registration. The CQC also seeks information on the recruitment of a replacement when it receives notification of a manager resigning or leaving.
	The CQC publishes information about all regulated services on its website. The information shows if a manager is required for a service and whether or not there is one in post. It is available at:
	www.cqc.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/documents/hsca_active_locations.xlsx

Charitable Donations

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to encourage employees to make tax-free donations direct from their salaries.

Daniel Poulter: The Department promotes payroll giving by their employees as an easy and tax-efficient way to make donations to the charities of their choice via communications on our intranet. These communications also explain the process we have put in place to enable this to happen. In addition, the Department uses a professional fundraising organisation to promote payroll giving by regularly holding awareness sessions for all employees.

Clinical Commissioning Groups

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the level of funding per head is for each clinical commissioning group allocated by NHS England from its 2013-14 budget; and what the equivalent figures are for each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The total revenue budget for the national health service increased by 2.6 billion in 2013-14. Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) were fully established from 1 April 2013, receiving their first commissioning funding for the 2013-14 financial year. A note of each CCGs allocation, as announced in December 2012, has been placed in the Library. There is no prior year CCG data.

Dementia: Cornwall

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding has been allocated to health professionals in Cornwall from the NHS Innovation Challenge Prize for Dementia fund.

Norman Lamb: The Plymouth Care Coordination Team were highly commended for their entry in the NHS Innovation Challenge Prize for Dementia, but received no monetary award.

Electronic Cigarettes

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons electronic cigarettes are regulated as a medicinal product; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: Only nicotine-containing products (NCP), including electronic cigarettes, which are presented as having properties for treating or preventing disease in human beings, such as nicotine addiction, are considered to be medicinal products.
	Medicines regulation requires that licensed products meet appropriate standards of quality, safety and efficacy; that safety in use is monitored, including over the long term; and any emerging risks are effectively managed.
	The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends the use of licensed nicotine replacement therapy to reduce the harms of smoking to smokers and those around them.
	Smoking is the greatest single cause of avoidable ill-health and death, accounting for 80,000 deaths each year in England alone. The Government is concerned to ensure that an effective, proportionate regulatory framework exists to enable safe and effective products to meet this public health priority.
	NCPs which are not presented as medicines are not subject to medicinal licensing. General Product Safety Directive provisions apply to such products.

Epilepsy

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will direct the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to publish guidance and the evidence on which its anti-epileptics: changing products is based.

Norman Lamb: On 12 November 2013 following earlier consideration of the matter by its independent expert advisory group, the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) the MHRA published advice in relation to switching between manufacturers' products of oral antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). This advice included messages targeted to health care professionals, patients and marketing authorisation holders.
	Furthermore, information setting the context of this advice in relation to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on AEDs and the regulatory approval of generic drugs was also provided.
	On 25 November 2013 the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) published more detailed information in the form of a report of the evidence which was considered by the CHM in reaching this position. This report can be found on the MHRA website:
	www.mhra.gov.uk/home/groups/comms-ic/documents/websiteresources/con341226.pdf
	The review considered adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting, published literature and the characteristics of the individual AEDs, their therapeutic index, solubility and absorption properties. With regard to the characteristics of the individual drugs, a summary for each drug is included within the CHM report.
	ADR reports will continue to be monitored, along with any other emerging evidence, and if the strength of evidence supports it then re-categorising a particular drug substance would be considered.
	A list of the published literature reviewed as part of this process will also shortly be published alongside the already available information.

Gender Recognition

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what his Department's policy is on access to gender reassignment services;
	(2)  what NHS expenditure on gender reassignment treatment and advice was in (a) 2005, (b) 2010 and (c) 2013;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the average time spent on waiting lists for gender reassignment in (a) North West England and (b) England in each of the last five years;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of any variation in gender reassignment policies across NHS trusts in England and Wales.

Norman Lamb: Since April 2013 gender identity services have been commissioned by NHS England. NHS England will continue to work with the transgendered community and stakeholders through the Clinical Reference Group for Gender Identity services, to produce a single and consistent policy for the whole of England.
	However, an England-wide interim protocol was consulted on, developed and began on 1 November 2013. The protocol is based on the previously published and well received Scottish protocol. The protocol relies on the publication of the Inter-Collegiate “Good practice guidelines for the treatment of adults with gender dysphoria” published at the end of October 2013. A fully consulted policy document and service specifications will be published during 2014.
	Until April 2013, gender identity services were largely commissioned by primary care trusts (PCTs). Each PCT commissioned gender reassignment services to local need and policies.
	Data on expenditure on gender reassignment treatments are not collected centrally. Data on finished consultant episodes with a primary or secondary procedure of gender reassignment surgery for the years 2005-06, 2010-11 and 2012-13 are provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Count of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) with a primary or secondary procedure of gender reassignment surgery for the years 2005-06, 2010-11 and 2012-13: Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			  FCEs 
			 2005-06 139 
			 2010-11 169 
			 2012-13 167 
			 Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Health and Social Care Information Centre 
		
	
	Data on average waiting times lists for gender reassignment in north-west England centrally:
	The current average waiting time for those patients (male to female) who wish to progress to surgical reassignment is 24 weeks.
	The current average waiting time for those patients (female to male) that wish to progress to surgical reassignment is 16 weeks.

General Practitioners

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will support the campaign to direct more resources to frontline services via GPs;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy to increase resources for general practice up to 11 per cent of total funding by 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: Commissioning primary medical care is the responsibility of NHS England and it will be for NHS England to determine the level of funding required to deliver those services in order to meet the needs of patients.
	NHS England are developing a strategic framework for commissioning of primary care services, strengthening general practice and enabling it to play an even more pivotal role at the heart of more integrated systems of out-of-hospital care for patients and local communities.
	The Government recognises the central role that primary care has to play in helping keep people healthy, supporting proactive management of long-term health needs and reducing the need for hospital admissions. In 2014, the Government will set out plans for improving care for vulnerable older people, including the central role that general practitioners have to play in helping people to stay healthy and live independently.

Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funds his Department has provided for promotion of (a) five-a-day fruit and vegetable consumption and (b) physical exercise in the last 12 months; and if he will take steps to promote five-a-day habits for good mental health.

Jane Ellison: In the last 12 months, the Department of Health has invested in the following programmes led by other Government Departments in promoting/supporting physical activity:
	£1.2 million on active travel (led by Department for Transport);
	£120 million on School Sports Premium (led by Department for Education);
	£23.5 million on School Games (led by Department for Culture Media and Sport);
	£150,000 to NHS Confederation to promote physical activity at workplace; and
	£150,000 to English Federation for Disability and Sport in the last three financial years (FY 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13).
	Over the past 12 months the Department has spent £38.2 million on the Schools Fruit and Vegetable Scheme and the forecast spend for FY 2013-14 is £38.3 million.
	The overall budget for Public Health England's (PHE) Change4Life marketing campaign for the financial year 2013-14 is £11,945,000. Five-a-day and the encouragement of physical activity are integral parts of PHE's Change4Life campaign. It is not possible to break out the contribution to those two elements of the campaign.
	We are not aware of any scientific evidence directly linking the consumption of fruit and vegetables with mental health.

Health Education

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written answer of 29 November 2013, Official Report, column 467W, on health education, what continued development has been undertaken since the guidance was suspended.

Norman Lamb: Following the decision in November 2010 to suspend the development of its public health guidance on personal, social, health and economic education focusing on sex and relationships and alcohol education, we understand that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has not undertaken any further development work on this topic.

Health Visitors

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answers of 21 November 2013, Official Report, columns 1003-4W and 3 December 2013, Official Report, column 644W, on health visitors, what the expected net growth is in the number of health visitors from August 2013 to the end of 2013-14.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England report that plans for 2013-14 indicate that the health visitor work force in England is expected to grow by 1,724 full-time equivalents between 31 August 2013 and 31 March 2014. By April 2015 it is planned that there will be 4,200 extra health visitors in the work force over the May 2010 baseline.

Hospitals: Mortality Rates

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to raise public awareness of the conclusion drawn by Sir Bruce Keogh in his review into hospital mortality rates over the last decade in NHS hospitals, that overall mortality has fallen by about 30 per cent and that the improvement is even greater when the increasing complexity of patients being treated is taken into account.

Daniel Poulter: As Sir Bruce Keogh's mortality review highlighted, improvements in health care mean that patients with complex needs now have better chance of survival. The review highlighted that
	“mortality in all NHS hospitals has been falling over the last decade: overall mortality has fallen by about 30 per cent and that the improvement is even greater when the increasing complexity of patients being treated is taken into account”.
	The report on the review was widely publicised and received national coverage, with a number of national, regional and local press articles highlighting the improvement in mortality rates specifically.
	Mortality rates in local hospitals are important to the public. We want hospitals to engage with their local populations to raise awareness of local rates and challenge them to improve further.

Hospitals: Older People

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many emergency readmissions to hospital within 28 days of discharge of adults aged over 65 years there were in (a) each region of England and (b) England in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and what the indirect (A) age-standardised, (B) sex-standardised, (C) method of admission of discharge spell-standardised, (D) diagnosis-standardised and (E) procedure-standardised proportion was for such readmissions in each such region in each such year;
	(2)  how many patients aged (a) 75 or over and (b) 65 or over were readmitted to hospital as an emergency case within 28 days of being discharged in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13 in each English hospital trust area; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: This information is not available in the format requested.
	Data on emergency readmissions to hospital within 28 days of discharge of adults is published as the percentage of emergency admissions to any hospital in England occurring within 28 days of discharge from hospital after admission. Latest published data is for 2011-12.
	These data are published for age groups 0-15 years, 16-74 years and 75 and over and are indirectly standardised for age, sex, method of admission of discharge spell, diagnosis within medical specialties and procedure within surgical specialties (standardised to 2007-08).
	Geographical breakdowns are available by Government office region, strategic health authority (boundaries as at July 2006); county; local authority (boundaries as at April 2009); primary care organisation (boundaries as at April 2011); NHS provider trusts (as during financial year); and provider clusters.
	This information is publicly available at the Health and Social Care Information Centre Indicator Portal at the following link, (under the category ‘Compendium of population health indicators’/Hospital Care/Outcomes/Readmissions):
	https://indicators.ic.nhs.uk/webview/

Hyperactivity: Young People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2013, Official Report, column 645W, on hyperactivity: young people, if he will state the incidence of (a) severe and (b) moderate attention deficit hyperactivity disorder by region.

Norman Lamb: The data are not available in the form requested.
	Hyperkinetic Disorder is the term used by the World Health Organisation's International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) to refer to the more severe form of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The Mental Health of Children and Young People in Great Britain, 2004 found that there were no significant differences between the countries in Great Britain in the distribution of children with hyperkinetic disorder. The only regional differences identified were that those with hyperkinetic disorder were found to be more likely than other children to live in non-metropolitan areas of England (53% compared with 44%).

Meningitis

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation regarding the licensing of Bexsero and the potential for nationwide vaccination programme against meningitis B.

Jane Ellison: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), wrote to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on 10 June 2013 requesting a recommendation on whether there should be a national routine meningococcal B immunisation programme, based on an assessment of cost effectiveness, under the provisions set out in the Health Protection (Vaccination) Regulations 2009. A copy of this letter, which is available on GOV.UK, has been placed in the Library.
	JCVI published an interim position statement on the use of MenB vaccine on 24 July for consultation with key stakeholders. Following consultation, JCVI announced on 25 October that it had requested further analyses to be undertaken in the light of new or recently published evidence submitted.
	JCVI will finalise its advice once the analyses have been completed in early 2014.

Mental Health Services: Essex

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what per capita spend on mental health services was in (a) Chelmsford constituency and (b) Essex in each of the last five years.

Norman Lamb: Information is not available in the format requested. The Department of Health does not collect information on per capita breakdown of spending on mental health services in constituencies or counties. The following table however provides information on reported investment in mental health services covering the areas requested. Prior to 2013-14, primary care trusts were responsible for commissioning services to meet the health care needs of their local populations, taking account of national and local priorities.
	
		
			 Reported investment for working age adults 
			 £000 
			  Total reported investment 
			 Primary Care Trust 2011-12 2010-11 2009-10 2008-09 2007-08 
			 Mid Essex 27,136.79 26,520.13 22,977.42 15,848.15 1— 
			 North East Essex 28,589.33 27,948.90 25,319.89 1— 1— 
			 South East Essex 35,712.60 33,864.56 35,205.19 27,696.23 26,645.10 
			 South West Essex 38,816.10 40,419.33 38,715.77 48,927.51 42,463.55 
		
	
	
		
			 West Essex 22,888.45 22,374.14 16,685.67 42,188.80 57,988.56 
			 1 Data unavailable. Notes: 1. These survey figures were based on details submitted by each organisation on their reported investment in services and consequently may not match actual outturn figures reported in their annual accounts 2. The surveys were non-mandatory and include some estimated data. Sources: National Survey of Investment in Adult Mental Health Services, Mental Health Strategies 2011-12. Report of National Survey of Investment in Adult Mental Health Services, Mental Health Strategies 2011-12. Report of National Survey of Investment in Adult Mental Health Services, Mental Health Strategies 2010-11. Report of National Survey of Investment in Adult Mental Health Services, Mental Health Strategies 2009-10. Report of National Survey of Investment in Adult Mental Health Services, Mental Health Strategies 2008-09. Report of National Survey of Investment in Adult Mental Health Services, Mental Health Strategies 2007-08.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2013, Official Report, column 152W, on mental health services: young people, what practical and physical conditions must be met before a patient under 18-years-old is recorded as in part of an adult ward set aside for child and adolescent mental health services' patients; and how many (a) under 16-year-olds and (b) 16 to 17-year-olds were admitted to part of an adult ward set aside for child and adolescent mental health services' patients in each of the last five years.

Norman Lamb: Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) is unable to provide information about the criteria for recording patients aged under 18 who occupy beds in adult wards that are set aside for children and adolescents.
	The following table provides the number of under 16-year-olds and 16 to 17-year-olds who have been admitted to in-patient care in national health service funded adult and elderly secondary mental health services for each of the last five years. The data supplied cover both NHS providers and independent providers and differ from the answer of 25 November 2013, Official Report, column 152W, where figures were supplied for NHS providers only.
	
		
			 Number of people1 aged under 182 admitted to in-patient care using NHS funded adult and elderly secondary mental health services, 2008-09 to 2012-13, England 
			 Number 
			  Admissions 
			  Under 16 16-17 
			 2008-092 145 948 
			 2009-10 111 863 
			 2010-11 97 881 
			 2011-123 47 310 
			 2012-133 23 196 
			 1 These counts exclude people for whom gender data was missing or invalid. 2 This only includes children under 18 who have been recorded as having bed days on adult mental health wards in the mental health minimum data set (MHMDS). HSCIC does not hold data about the criteria for recording patients under 18 who occupy wards that are set aside for children and adolescents. 3 Data supplied covers both NHS providers' and independent providers. It should be noted that figures supplied in response to the answer of 25 November 2013, Official Report, column 152W, supplied figures for NHS providers only. Sources: Table 1.2, National Reference Tables, Mental Health Bulletin—Annual report from MHMDS returns—England, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13. Health and Social Care Information Centre, Community and Mental Health Team.

Mental Health: ICT

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the effects of long-term use of mobile telephones, hand-held computers and other digital hardware on mental health.

Norman Lamb: The Department has commissioned Imperial College London to undertake a five-year study called COSMOS to monitor the effects on the health of a cohort of 105,000 adults of all digital devices including mobile phones, hand-held computers, and other digital hardware which operate on radio-frequency electro-magnetic fields. The study includes an assessment of self-reported effects on sleep quality and disorders, quality of life and depression, and general mental well-being. Data will be collected for in-patient hospital admissions for mental illnesses. This study will end in February 2014.

NHS: Innovation

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the statement by Mr James Palmer of 15 October 2013 on the Specialised Services Commissioning Innovation Fund, what the level of unplanned expenditure on specialised commissioning has been in 2013 to date; what the forecast level of such expenditure is at the end of the current financial year; by how much the specialised commissioning budget is expected to be overspent in (a) 2013-14 to date, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15; what steps NHS England is taking to reduce the level of unplanned expenditure; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: NHS England advises that, as at month six (October 2013), the Specialised Services position measured against its planned surplus is as detailed in the following tables. “Unplanned” expenditure is not measured separately from the overall position.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Planned Actual Variance 
			 Year to Date (April to October 2013) Surplus/(Deficit) 59.9 (136.8) (196.7) 
		
	
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Planned Forecast Variance 
			 Forecast Outturn (April 2013 to March 2014) Surplus/(Deficit) 119.8 (216.7) (336.5) 
		
	
	NHS England advises that work is continuing during 2013-14 to minimise the level of the adverse position.
	The 2014-15 allocation for Specialised Services is due to be discussed at the NHS England Board meeting on 17 December 2013 as part of an overarching allocations paper. Following the Board meeting, NHS England will announce two year allocations.
	Work is already under way by NHS England to develop Quality Innovation Productivity and Prevention schemes for implementation from 1 April 2014 onwards in order to assist in mitigating the impact of any pressures. As part of the process of forward planning, NHS England issued its 2014-15 commissioning intentions in October 2013 to provide the context for constructive engagement with providers, with a view to achieving the shared goal of improved patient outcomes and service transformation within the fixed resources available.

NHS: Standards

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of long-term trends in patient satisfaction levels in the NHS.

Daniel Poulter: Putting patients at the heart of the national health service and ensuring they 'have a positive experience of care' is a key priority for this Government and the NHS. This is reflected through the Mandate and Domain 4 of the NHS Outcomes Framework.
	Patient experience of services is assessed regularly in a number of ways; results allow service providers to improve services, commissioners and the public to hold services to account and patients to make informed choices.
	Some of these methods generate data on satisfaction with NHS services. Overall, these show that patient satisfaction with NHS services is relatively high. Data from the Ipsos Mori Public Perceptions of the NHS and Social Care Tracker (see table 1) and in the Care Quality Commission (CQC) Adult Inpatient Survey (see table 2a and 2b) show that there has been a slow shift respectively towards more satisfaction and more positive rating of care over time.
	However the data also show that some patients are still dissatisfied with services or rate their overall experience or aspects of it as poor. It is important that we understand why that is so the NHS can take action to respond and improve.
	To help improve the transparency and responsiveness of services, in April 2013 we introduced the Friends and Family Test into acute in-patients and accident and emergency.
	The test asks patients how likely they would be to recommend the care they just received to a friend or family member if they needed similar care or treatment. The test enables patients to provide virtual real-time feedback on services with results published down to ward level and it is being rolled out across the wider NHS. Already there is evidence that providers are using this feedback to celebrate what is good but tackle areas where improvements are needed.
	
		
			 Table 1: Hospital users’ satisfaction with last visit 
			  Wave Satisfied Dissatisfied Base 
			 2002 Spring 70 18 630 
			 2004 Spring 79 14 511 
			  Winter 81 13 527 
			 2005 Spring 78 12 569 
			 2005 Winter 81 8 589 
			 2006 Spring 77 12 544 
			 2006 Winter 81 13 557 
			 2007 Spring 79 15 551 
			  Summer 82 13 553 
			  Winter 80 12 550 
			 2008 Spring 82 12 553 
			  Summer 82 12 544 
			  Winter 84 12 540 
			 2009 Spring 82 11 553 
			  Summer 84 12 565 
			  Winter 83 13 557 
			 2010 Spring 89 8 555 
			  Winter 83 13 572 
			 2011 Winter 81 12 543 
			 2012 Spring 82 13 559 
			  Winter 84 11 583 
			 Source: Ipsos-MORI Tracker Survey ‘Public Perceptions of the NHS and Social Care' 2012 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2a: Overall how well would you rate the care you received? 
			  2002 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Percentage         
			 Excellent 38 40 41 42 43 44 43 43 
			 Very good 36 37 36 35 35 35 35 35 
			 Good 17 15 15 14 14 13 14 14 
			 Fair 7 6 6 6 5 5 6 6 
			 Poor 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 
			          
			 Number of respondents 92,902 78,319 78,539 74,732 71,044 67,146 64,270 68,601 
			 Source: CQC Inpatient Surveys 
		
	
	In 2012 the question and answer was changed to:
	
		
			 Table 2b: Overall 
			  Percentage 
			 10 (I had a very good experience) 25 
			 9 20 
			 8 24 
			 7 12 
			 6 6 
			 5 5 
			 4 2 
			 3 2 
			 2 1 
			 1 1 
		
	
	
		
			 0 (I had a very poor experience) 1 
			 Note: 61,399 respondents Source: 2012 CQC Inpatient Survey

NHS: Standards

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his contribution of 16 July 2013, Official Report, column 927, if he will define the special measures into which these trusts will be placed; and what criteria these trusts need to satisfy to be taken out of special measures.

Daniel Poulter: Special measures include the following components:
	a contractual partnership with a high-performing partner to provide both guidance and direct input into improvement areas;
	an improvement director will be appointed by the NHS Trust Development Authority/Monitor to oversee and drive improvements on the ground;
	an improvement plan is created to address the failings identified, and progress against the plan published monthly; and
	a leadership capability review is performed to ensure the correct leadership is in place to drive improvement.
	All trusts in special measures will be re-inspected by the Chief Inspector of Hospitals within 12 months of entering. Where the Chief Inspector concludes that the necessary improvements to patient safety, quality of care, leadership and governance have been made he will recommend that either the NHS Trust Development Authority or Monitor exit the trust from special measures.

Obesity

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will meet representatives of Cambridge Manufacturing to discuss initiatives to tackle obesity and the Cambridge Diet.

Jane Ellison: Obesity is a priority area for the Government-the Department and Public Health England (PHE) share the ambition to achieve a downward trend in child and adult obesity. PHE has responsibility for the delivery of weight management services and PHE officials have recently met with representatives from Cambridge Weight Plan with regards the Cambridge Diet. This forms part of wider engagement, which includes commissioners of services and other weight management providers, commercial and non-commercial.

Perinatal Mortality

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received about changing the law about designation of babies born before 24 weeks gestation as stillborn; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: A search of the Department’s ministerial correspondence database has identified 12 items of correspondence received since 1 December 2012 about changing the law regarding the designation of babies born before 24 weeks gestation as stillborn. This is a minimum figure which represents correspondence received by the Department’s ministerial correspondence unit only.
	The Government currently has no plans to change the definition of stillbirth, which is based on the legal age at which the unborn baby is considered viable. We are guided on this issue by the clinical evidence. This shows that, while there have been medical advances in caring for premature babies, only a small number of babies born under 24 weeks gestation survive.

Radiotherapy

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 11 November 2013, Official Report, column 504W, on Radiotherapy and the 2014/2015 National Tariff Payment System: A Consultation Notice published by NHS England and Monitor on 3 October 2013, how NHS England plans to require providers of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy to make productivity improvements.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England contracts for stereotactic ablative radiotherapy services through its Area Teams using a nationally defined clinical commissioning policy. The focus on productivity of individual services is the responsibility of the local Area Team, which forms a part of their discussion with providers in agreeing and monitoring contracts for this service.

Radiotherapy

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2013, Official Report, column 160W, on radiotherapy, for what reason NHS England and Monitor will not be introducing a non-mandatory tariff for stereotactic ablative radiotherapy for the financial year 2014-15.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England and Monitor will not be introducing a non-mandatory price for stereotactic ablative radiotherapy for the financial year 2014-15 for two main reasons. Firstly, to ensure 2014-15 is a year of relative stability in the national tariff, only a very small number of changes are being made.
	The second reason is the absence of robust cost data which could be used as the basis for setting a non-mandatory price for this activity. Approval has been secured from the Health and Social Care Information Centre for a new activity code to be used for stereotactic ablative radiotherapy, which will enable a Healthcare Resource Group to be created for this activity against which cost data can be collected as part of the 2013-14 reference cost collection in summer 2014.
	It is possible therefore that the cost data collected could help to inform the setting of a non-mandatory price for use in future years, but until these data have been collected and assessed it is not possible to estimate when non-mandatory prices could be made available by Monitor and NHS England.
	Commissioners and providers are able to agree local prices for stereotactic ablative radiotherapy—the absence of a national price should not be an excuse for not providing this treatment where commissioners determine it to be in the best interest of patients.

School Milk

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the impact assessment accompanying his Department's consultation entitled, Next Steps for Nursery Milk, 
	(1)  by what process officials in his Department estimated the costs associated with (a) a contract for direct supply of milk to settings and (b) an e-voucher system;
	(2)  what the cost would be of policy option 4, national contract model for direct supply of milk; and what proportion of that cost would relate to setting up and managing the associated procurement process.

Daniel Poulter: The Department of Health has set out possible options for the operation of the Nursery Milk scheme, in its consultation Next Steps for Nursery Milk published in 2012. The Impact Assessment which accompanied the consultation included the costs of a new national procurement process for the Nursery Milk Scheme and the costs of the adoption of the Direct Supply option and an e-voucher scheme. The methodology for calculating the costs of these options is included in the Impact Assessment. A copy of the consultation document has already been placed in the Library.
	A decision on the future operation of the Nursery Milk Scheme will be taken after full consideration is given to the Final Impact Assessment, the consultation responses and other relevant information.

School Milk

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department took to mark the Food and Agricultural Organization's World School Milk Day.

Daniel Poulter: The Department is not actively involved in the World School Milk Day.

Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answers of 19 November 2013, Official Report, column 862W, and 21 November 2013, Official Report, column 1010W, on secondment, what the estimated cost is of providing the information requested in those questions.

Daniel Poulter: With reference to the answer provided on 19 November 2013, Official Report,column 862W, this is a matter for the Home Office.
	With reference to the answer provided on 21 November 2013, Official Report, column 1010W, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister of State, Department of Health, the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Norman Lamb) on 2 December 2013, Official Report, column 553W.

Vaccination: Immigrants

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which group is responsible for the monitoring, implementation and funding of measures to vaccinate newly-arrived migrants to communities within England; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: NHS England is responsible for commissioning immunisation programmes under the terms of the NHS Public Health Functions agreement 2014-15 (Section 7A Agreement). Public Health England is responsible for monitoring and supporting their implementation including for newly-arrived migrants to communities within England.
	Newly-arrived migrants who register with a general practitioner (GP) are offered vaccines in line with national guidance on immunisation against infectious diseases. Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for assessing the local need for provision of outreach immunisation services for newly-arrived migrants who are not registered with a GP.

CABINET OFFICE

Employment: Hampshire

Mike Hancock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people are employed in (a) commerce and (b) manufacturing in (i) Portsmouth South constituency and (ii) Hampshire.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated December 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people are employed in (a) commerce and (b) manufacturing in (i) Portsmouth South constituency and (ii) Hampshire.
	Annual employment statistics are available from the Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES). Table 1 below contains estimates of the number employed in businesses considered to be part of industries involved in commerce for Portsmouth South constituency and Hampshire in 2012, the most recent year that figures are available. Although there is no standard definition of commerce used by the Office for National Statistics, in this table commerce is taken to be the service sector with public administration, education, health and arts, entertainment and recreation removed. This is intended to reflect businesses that are involved in the activity of buying and selling. Table 2 contains estimates of the number employed in the manufacturing sector for these areas.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Employment in 2012 for commerce 
			 Commerce industries Portsmouth South constituency Hampshire 
			 Motor trades 300 11,100 
			 Wholesale 600 28,000 
			 Retail 6,800 59,800 
			 Transport and storage (including postal) 2,100 21,600 
			 Accommodation and food services 4,500 36,900 
			 Information and communication 1,000 32,000 
			 Financial and insurance 500 18,000 
			 Property 500 8,700 
			 Professional, scientific and technical 1,100 47,400 
			 Business administration and support services 3,600 49,600 
		
	
	
		
			 Total commerce 20,800 313,000 
			 Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100 and so the sum of the employment in individual industries may not add up to the total. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Employment in 2012 for the manufacturing sector 
			  Portsmouth South constituency Hampshire 
			 Number 3,800 49,500

Employment: Portsmouth

Mike Hancock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people are employed in (a) the service sector and (b) the financial sector in Portsmouth South constituency.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated December 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are employed in (a) the service sector and (b) the financial sector in Portsmouth South constituency.
	Annual employment statistics are available from the Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES). Table 1 as follows contains estimates of the number employed in businesses considered to be part of industries that make up the service sector for Portsmouth South constituency in 2012, the most recent year that figures are available. The table also shows the number employed in the financial & insurance sector, which forms part of the service sector.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1-Employment in 2012 for Portsmouth South constituency 
			 Industries that make up the service sector Employment in 2012 
			 Motor trades 300 
			 Wholesale 600 
			 Retail 6,800 
			 Transport and storage (inc postal) 2,100 
			 Accommodation and food services 4,500 
			 Information and communication 1,000 
			 Financial and insurance 500 
			 Property 500 
			 Professional, scientific and technical 1,100 
			 Business administration and support services 3,600 
			 Public administration and defence 5,100 
			 Education 6,400 
			 Health 5,600 
			 Arts, entertainment, recreation and other services 3,100 
			 Total service sector 41,000 
			 Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred and so the sum of the employment in individual industries may not add up to the total employed in the service sector.

Food Banks

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what money has been given by his Department to help with the cost of establishing food banks. [R]

Nick Hurd: None.

Older People: Cannock Chase

Aidan Burley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the change over the next 20 years to the proportion of the population of Cannock Chase constituency who are over 85.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated December 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the change over the next 20 years to the proportion of the population of Cannock Chase constituency who are over 85 [178345].
	Estimates of future population are available as population projections. The most recent subnational population projections are based on mid-year population estimates for 2011 but only project the population growth for 10 years to mid-2021, therefore the 2010-based subnational projections have been used to respond to your Parliamentary Question. These projections do not take account of results of the 2011 Census. As population projections are not produced by ONS for parliamentary constituencies, figures for the local authority of Cannock Chase have been provided.
	The proportion of the population aged over 85 in the local authority of Cannock Chase is projected to be 4.1 percent in mid-2033, compared to a projected 1.7 percent in mid-2013.
	Subnational population projections are not forecasts and do not attempt to predict the impact of future government policies, changing economic circumstances or the capacity of an area to accommodate a change in population. They provide an indication of the future size and age structure of the population if recent demographic trends continued.
	ONS are planning to release the 2012-based subnational population projections to take account of rebased fertility, migration and mortality assumptions to include results from the 2011 Census, in Spring 2014.

Pay: Middlesbrough

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what change there has been in median gross pay for women in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency since 2010.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what change there has been in median gross pay for women in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency since 2010. (178349).
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Weekly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence. Figures relate to employee jobs, which are defined as those held by employees and not the self-employed.
	I attach a table showing estimates of median gross weekly earnings for female employees in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency from 2010 to 2012, the latest period for which results are available. These figures show that there was a 10.6 per cent decrease in median gross weekly earnings for women between April 2010 and April 2012.
	
		
			 Median gross weekly earnings for women1 in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency, 2010 to 2012 
			  £ 
			 2010 **326.1 
			 20112 **313.2 
			 20113 **305.5 
			 2012 **291.5 
			 Percentage change 2010 to 2012 (%) -10.6 
			 1 Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. ASHE is based on a 1% sample of jobs taken from HM Revenue and Customs' Pay As You Earn (PAYE) records. Consequently, individuals with more than one job may appear in the sample more than once. ASHE does not cover the self-employed. 2 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2000. 3 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2010. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220 Key: ** CV >10% and <=20% CV = Coefficient of Variation X = unreliable. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics.

Private Sector: Staffordshire

Aidan Burley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the net change in the number of private sector jobs in (a) Cannock Chase constituency and (b) Staffordshire was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated December 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister of the Cabinet Office what the net change in the number of private sector jobs in (a) Cannock Chase constituency, and (b) Staffordshire was in the latest period for which figures are available. (178346).
	Information regarding the number of private sector jobs for parliamentary constituencies is not available. As an alternative, estimates relating to the number of people employed in the private sector have-been provided. Employment statistics for local areas are calculated from the Annual Population Survey (APS).
	Individuals in the APS are classified to the public or private sector according to their responses to the survey. The private sector estimates provided do not correspond to those derived as part of the calculation of the official Public Sector Employment estimates. These are based on a National Accounts' definition, are generally higher and are not available for areas smaller then regions.
	The table shows the number and net change of people employed in the private sector in the requested areas. These estimates are compiled from APS interviews held during the period July 2012 to June 2013, the latest period available, and the 12 month period ending in June 2012.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in the table.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Number of people employed in the private sector1 and net change between 12 month periods ending June 2012 and June 2013 
			 Thousand 
			  12 months ending: 
			  June 2012 June 20132 Net change3 between 12 month periods ending June 2012 and June 2013 
			 Cannock Chase 33 ***37 4 
			 Staffordshire 301 **312 11 
			 1 Individuals in the APS are classified to the public or private sector according to their responses to the survey. 2 Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality following. 3 Net change is calculated on unrounded numbers. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220 Key: * 0 ≤ CV<5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 ≤ CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 ≤ CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ≥ 20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Annual Population Survey

Telephone Services

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0845, (b) 0844 and (c) 0843 his Department (i) operates and (ii) sponsors; how many calls each number has received in the last 12 months; and whether alternative numbers charged at the BT local rate are available in each case;
	(2)  when he intends to answer question 174990 tabled on 6 November 2013.

Nick Hurd: holding answer 18 November 2013
	The Cabinet Office has identified no telephone lines with the prefix 0844 or 0843, and two with the prefix 0845. One of these was inherited from the previous Government.
	Neither line is targeted at users of public services and one of them has an alternative local landline number and call-back service.
	One of the 0845 numbers will be replaced in the new year with a web portal and call-back service. We will also review the use of the other 0845 line in the new year.
	My Department does not hold information on the exact number of calls to these numbers.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Aidan Burley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many young people in (a) Cannock Chase constituency and (b) Staffordshire participated in the National Citizen Service in the last 12 months.

Nick Hurd: Over 30 young people from the Cannock Chase area, and over 330 from Staffordshire, participated in National Citizen Service in 2013. In 2013 the programme has expanded significantly, with 40,000 young people having taken part in spring, summer and. autumn programmes.
	NCS will continue to grow in 2014, with even more places available for young people to participate in programmes running across England and Northern Ireland.
	I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his support of the programme over the past two years, and am keen that as many Members as possible should engage with NCS in their constituencies.